2008 OFC Nations Cup
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Dates | 17 October 2007 – 19 November 2008 |
| Teams | 4 (from 1 confederation) |
| Venue(s) | 5 (in 5 host cities) |
| Final positions | |
| Champions |
 New Zealand (4th title) |
| Runners-up |
 New Caledonia |
| Third place |
 Fiji |
| Fourth place |
 Vanuatu |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 12 |
| Goals scored | 39 (3.25 per match) |
| Top scorer(s) |
Shane Smeltz (8 goals) |
The 2008 OFC Nations Cup was the eighth edition of the OFC Nations Cup, and the first under a new format that was introduced. It took place as a series of as a home-and-away round-robin tournament on FIFA match dates in 2007 and 2008. Doubling as the qualification tournament for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, the tournament was substantially different from earlier editions: 2004 champions Australia did not compete after leaving the Oceania Football Confederation for the Asian Football Confederation, and for the first time since the 1996 OFC Nations Cup, no fixed venue was used. Unlike the 2004 OFC Nations Cup, which had featured ten teams from the Oceania Football Confederation, the 2008 tournament had just four teams.
The Cup was won by New Zealand, who as a result qualified for the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup in South Africa, and the World Cup qualifying play-off with the AFC 5th-placed team, Bahrain, in which New Zealand were successful.
Participating teams
The four qualified teams for the 2008 OFC Nations Cup were:
- New Zealand (automatic qualifier)
- New Caledonia (gold medalists at the 2007 South Pacific Games)
- Fiji (silver medalists at the 2007 South Pacific Games)
- Vanuatu (bronze medalists at the 2007 South Pacific Games)
Squads
Final tournament
Ranking
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New Zealand advanced to the AFC-OFC Play-off
Results
Notes
- ↑ The New Zealand vs Fiji match was originally scheduled for 13 October 2007, but was postponed by FIFA after Fijian goalkeeper Simione Tamanisau was denied a visa by the New Zealand immigration authorities. The match was first rescheduled to be played in the neutral country of Samoa,[1][2] but subsequently moved again to Fiji.[3]
| 2008 OFC Nations Cup Winners |
|---|
New Zealand Fourth title |
Goalscorers
There were 39 goals scored in 12 games, for an average of 3.25 goals per game. Players in bold advanced to the next round in qualifying.
- 8 goals
- 5 goals
- 3 goals
- 2 goals
- 1 goal
References
- ↑ Media Statement: New Zealand vs Fiji Match, Oceania Football Confederation. Accessed 2009-09-09. Archived 2009-09-11.
- ↑ FIFA cancels New Zealand-Fiji, FIFA.com
- ↑ New Zealand to finish World Cup qualifying campaign in Fiji, Oceania Football Confederation.
External links
- RSSF. Accessed 21 February 2010.