Wellington Olympic or Auckland City will represent New Zealand at the next OFC Men’s Champions League tournament to be held in Tahiti next May.
The Oceania Football Confederation have confirmed the tournament will be held from May 11-24, 2024.
Olympic and Auckland City will meet in a two-legged play-off in February/March to decide which club will head to Tahiti.
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Main photo: The OFC Men’s Champions League trophy. Photo: David Joseph / Phototek.
How the OFC Champions League qualifiers work
Eight clubs will contest the OFC Champions League in Tahiti.
Each member association decides the format for qualification to this tournament, and NZ Football chose for it to be the play-off between the top two teams in the Men’s National League.
Seven of the qualifiers will come from play-offs to be held in February/March, including the two-legged contest between Auckland City and Wellington Olympic.
The eighth qualifier will be decided through a mini-tournament in February, involving clubs from the four lowest-ranked countries.
Why the OFC Champions League is important
In recent years, the winner of the OFC Champions League has become the region’s representative at the lucrative FIFA Club World Cup.
Auckland City, as current OFC champions, will go to this year’s Club World Cup in Saudi Arabia in December.
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However, the format for the FIFA Club World Cup is changing to an expanded competition, for 32 clubs, and will be held four-yearly.
The first under the new format will be staged in 2025.
The Oceania representative will be the best-performing club in the OFC Champions League over the previous four-year cycle (2021-2025).
OFC Women’s Champions League
Auckland United will represent New Zealand at the OFC Women’s Champions League tournament in the Solomon Islands next March.
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