2020 OFC Champions League

The 2020 OFC Champions League was the 19th edition of the Oceanian Club Championship, Oceania's premier club football tournament organized by the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC), and the 14th season under the current OFC Champions League name.

2020 OFC Champions League
Tournament details
Host countriesQualifying stage:
New Zealand
Group stage:
Papua New Guinea
Vanuatu
New Caledonia
Tahiti
DatesQualifying stage:
25–31 January 2020
Group stage:
15 February – 7 March 2020
Knockout stage:
Cancelled (originally 4 April – 16 May 2020)
TeamsCompetition proper: 16
Total: 18 (from 11 associations)
Final positions
ChampionsNot awarded
Tournament statistics
Matches played24
Goals scored92 (3.83 per match)
Attendance27,400 (1,142 per match)
Top scorer(s) Martín Bueno (6 goals)

The tournament was suspended in March 2020 after the group stage due to the COVID-19 pandemic. On 4 September 2020, the OFC announced that the knockout stage was cancelled due to the border and travel restrictions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, and no champions would be awarded.[1] The OFC representative at the 2020 FIFA Club World Cup in Qatar, which would originally be the winners of OFC Champions League, was confirmed to be Auckland City on 19 November 2020 following a decision by the OFC Executive Committee, based on the principles within the competition regulations of the OFC Champions League which established a ranking of each team after the group stage, which was topped by Auckland City.[2] However, on 15 January 2021, FIFA announced that Auckland City had withdrawn from the competition due to the COVID-19 pandemic and related quarantine measures required by the New Zealand authorities,[3] meaning that no OFC representatives competed in the tournament.

Hienghène Sport were the defending champions, but were eliminated in the group stage.

Teams
Location of teams of the 2020 OFC Champions League.
Teams entering the group stage; (H) Group stage host
Teams entering the qualifying stage; Teams which withdrew

A total of 18 teams from all 11 OFC member associations entered the competition.

  • The seven developed associations (Fiji, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Tahiti, Vanuatu) were awarded two berths each in the group stage.
  • The four developing associations (American Samoa, Cook Islands, Samoa, Tonga) were awarded one berth each in the qualifying stage, with the winners and runners-up advancing to the group stage.
Teams entering the group stage
Association Team Qualifying method
 Fiji Ba 2019 Fiji Premier League champions
Lautoka 2019 Fiji Premier League runners-up
 New Caledonia Magenta 2018 New Caledonia Super Ligue champions
Hienghène Sport 2018 New Caledonia Super Ligue runners-up
 New Zealand Eastern Suburbs 2018–19 New Zealand Football Championship finals series champions
Auckland City 2018–19 New Zealand Football Championship regular season premiers
 Papua New Guinea Lae City 2019 Papua New Guinea National Soccer League champions
Hekari United 2019 Papua New Guinea National Soccer League runners-up
 Solomon Islands Solomon Warriors 2019–20 Solomon Islands S-League champions[Note SOL]
Henderson Eels 2019–20 Solomon Islands S-League runners-up[Note SOL]
 Tahiti Vénus 2018–19 Tahiti Ligue 1 champions
Tiare Tahiti 2018–19 Tahiti Ligue 1 runners-up
 Vanuatu Malampa Revivors 2019 VFF National Super League grand final champions
Galaxy 2019 VFF National Super League grand final runners-up
Teams entering the qualifying stage
Association Team Qualifying method
 American Samoa Pago Youth 2018 FFAS Senior League champions
 Cook Islands Tupapa Maraerenga 2019 Cook Islands Round Cup champions
 Samoa Lupe o le Soaga 2019 Samoa National League champions
 Tonga Veitongo 2019 Tonga Major League champions
Notes
  1. ^
    Solomon Islands (SOL): Since the 2019–20 Solomon Islands S-League was not finished at the end of 2019, Solomon Warriors and Henderson Eels, which were both assured of a top two finish and thus had qualified for the 2020 OFC Champions League at that time, were placed in the group stage following their ranking at the end of 2019.[4][5] The league continued in 2020, and Solomon Warriors and Henderson Eels eventually finished in the same positions as champions and runners-up respectively.[6]

Schedule

The schedule of the competition is as follows.[7] For this season, the qualifying stage was originally brought forward from January 2020 to December 2019 to coincide with the end of the participating Member Associations’ national league seasons, and to be played in Samoa.[8] However, it was later delayed to January 2020 and moved to New Zealand.

On 9 March 2020, the OFC announced that all OFC tournaments were postponed until 6 May 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[9] On 14 May 2020, it was announced that the quarter-finals had been postponed until September 2020 at the earliest.[10] On 28 July 2020, the OFC announced that the knockout matches would take place at a single location, with the decision of the dates and venue to be made by the OFC Executive Committee on 31 August 2020.[11] On 4 September 2020, the OFC announced that the knockout stage was cancelled.[1]

Stage Draw date Match dates
Qualifying stage 13 December 2019 25–31 January 2020 (New Zealand)[12]
Group stage
Quarter-finals Cancelled Cancelled (originally 4–5 April 2020)[15]
Semi-finals Cancelled (originally 25–26 April 2020)[16]
Final Cancelled (originally 16 May 2020)[17]

Qualifying stage
Main article: 2020 OFC Champions League qualifying stage

The draw and the hosts of the qualifying stage were announced by the OFC on 13 December 2019.[7] The four teams in the qualifying stage played each other on a round-robin basis at a centralised venue. The winners and runners-up advanced to the group stage to join the 14 direct entrants. Matches were played between 25–31 January 2020 in New Zealand.

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification LUP TUP VEI PAG
1 Lupe o le Soaga 2 1 1 0 2 0 +2 4 Group stage — — 2–0 —
2 Tupapa Maraerenga 2 0 2 0 2 2 0 2 0–0 — — —
3 Veitongo 2 0 1 1 2 4 −2 1 — 2–2 — —
4 Pago Youth 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Withdrew[lower-alpha 1] — — — —
Source: OFC
Notes:
  1. On 17 December 2019, the OFC announced that Pago Youth had withdrawn from the qualifying stage due to concerns about the measles outbreak in the Pacific.[18]

Group stage
Main article: 2020 OFC Champions League group stage

The draw and the hosts of the qualifying stage were announced by the OFC on 13 December 2019.[7] The 16 teams (14 teams entering the group stage and two teams advancing from the qualifying stage) were drawn into four groups of four. The four teams in each group played each other on a round-robin basis at a centralised venue. The winners and runners-up of each group advanced to the quarter-finals of the knockout stage. Matches were played on the following dates and venues:

  • Group A matches were played between 16–22 February 2020 in Papua New Guinea.
  • Group B matches were played between 15–21 February 2020 in Vanuatu.
  • Group C matches were played between 1–7 March 2020 in New Caledonia.
  • Group D matches were played between 1–7 March 2020 in Tahiti.

Group A
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification EAS GAL HEK HIE
1 Eastern Suburbs 3 2 1 0 8 3 +5 7 Knockout stage — — 2–1 —
2 Galaxy 3 1 1 1 7 5 +2 4 2–2 — — 4–1
3 Hekari United (H) 3 1 1 1 5 5 0 4 — 2–1 — —
4 Hienghène Sport 3 0 1 2 3 10 −7 1 0–4 — 2–2 —
Source: OFC
(H) Host.

Group B
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification MAL HEN LAE LAU
1 Malampa Revivors (H) 3 1 2 0 6 3 +3 5 Knockout stage — 2–2 3–0 —
2 Henderson Eels 3 1 2 0 8 7 +1 5 — — — 3–2
3 Lae City 3 1 1 1 10 6 +4 4 — 3–3 — —
4 Lautoka 3 0 1 2 3 11 −8 1 1–1 — 0–7 —
Source: OFC
(H) Host.

Group C
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification MAG WAR TIA TUP
1 Magenta (H) 3 3 0 0 8 2 +6 9 Knockout stage — 2–0 3–2 —
2 Solomon Warriors 3 2 0 1 4 2 +2 6 — — 1–0 —
3 Tiare Tahiti 3 1 0 2 5 4 +1 3 — — — 3–0[lower-alpha 1]
4 Tupapa Maraerenga 3 0 0 3 0 9 −9 0 Withdrew[lower-alpha 2] 0–3[lower-alpha 1] 0–3[lower-alpha 1] — —
Source: OFC
(H) Host.
Notes:
  1. Tupapa Maraerenga were ruled to have forfeited all matches, which were awarded as 3–0 wins to their opponents, due to their withdrawal.[19]
  2. On 1 March 2020, the OFC announced that Tupapa Maraerenga had withdrawn from the group stage due to three of their players not being allowed to compete by the Directorate of Health and Social Affairs of New Caledonia as their immunization for measles could not be confirmed.[20]

Group D
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification AUC VEN LUP BAF
1 Auckland City 3 3 0 0 9 0 +9 9 Knockout stage — — 2–0 —
2 Vénus (H) 3 2 0 1 10 3 +7 6 0–1 — — 4–2
3 Lupe o le Soaga 3 1 0 2 4 11 −7 3 — 0–6 — 4–3
4 Ba 3 0 0 3 5 14 −9 0 0–6 — — —
Source: OFC
(H) Host.

Knockout stage

Qualified teams

The winners and runners-up of each of the four groups in the group stage would have played in the knockout stage, before it was cancelled.[1]

Group Winners Runners-up
A Eastern Suburbs Galaxy
B Malampa Revivors Henderson Eels
C Magenta Solomon Warriors
D Auckland City Vénus

Quarter-finals
Team 1  Score  Team 2
Winner Group TBD 4–5 Apr Runner-up Group TBD
Winner Group TBD 4–5 Apr Runner-up Group TBD
Winner Group TBD 4–5 Apr Runner-up Group TBD
Winner Group TBD 4–5 Apr Runner-up Group TBD

Semi-finals
Team 1  Score  Team 2
Winner QF TBD 25–26 Apr Winner QF TBD
Winner QF TBD 25–26 Apr Winner QF TBD

Final
Team 1  Score  Team 2
Winner SF TBD 16 May Winner SF TBD

Qualification to FIFA Club World Cup

Due to the cancellation of the knockout stage, the OFC decided to nominate the team with the best record in the group stage as their representative at the 2020 FIFA Club World Cup.[2]

Pos Grp Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 D Auckland City 3 3 0 0 9 0 +9 9 2020 FIFA Club World Cup
2 C Magenta 3 3 0 0 8 2 +6 9
3 A Eastern Suburbs 3 2 1 0 8 3 +5 7
4 D Vénus 3 2 0 1 10 3 +7 6
5 C Solomon Warriors 3 2 0 1 4 2 +2 6
6 B Malampa Revivors 3 1 2 0 6 3 +3 5
7 B Henderson Eels 3 1 2 0 8 7 +1 5
8 A Galaxy 3 1 1 1 7 5 +2 4
9 B Lae City 3 1 1 1 10 6 +4 4
10 A Hekari United 3 1 1 1 5 5 0 4
11 C Tiare Tahiti 3 1 0 2 5 4 +1 3
12 D Lupe o le Soaga 3 1 0 2 4 11 −7 3
13 A Hienghène Sport 3 0 1 2 3 10 −7 1
14 B Lautoka 3 0 1 2 3 11 −8 1
15 D Ba 3 0 0 3 5 14 −9 0
16 C Tupapa Maraerenga 3 0 0 3 0 9 −9 0
Source: OFC
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored (Regulations Article 31).[2]

Top goalscorers
  Team eliminated / inactive for this round.
Rank Player Team QS1 QS2 QS3 GS1 GS2 GS3 Total
1 Martín Bueno Eastern Suburbs 222 6
2 Emmanuel Simon Lae City 22 4
Teaonui Tehau Vénus 13
4 Andre Batick Malampa Revivors 3 3
Nigel Dabinyaba Lae City 12
Joses Nawo Henderson Eels 21
Tamatoa Tetauira Vénus 3
8 Joseph Athale Hienghène Sport 11 2
Myer Bevan Auckland City 11
Terence Carter Galaxy 11
Jack Caunter Lautoka 11
Samuela Drudru Ba 11
Raymond Gunemba Lae City 2
Brian Kaltak Auckland City 11
Ati Kepo Hekari United 2
Raphael Le'ai Henderson Eels 11
Kevin Nemia Magenta 2
Hema Polovili Veitongo 2
Manarii Porlier Tiare Tahiti 2
Roberson Galaxy 11
Emiliano Tade Auckland City 2
Tutizama Tanito Henderson Eels 2

References
  1. "OFC Champions League 2020 cancelled". Oceania Football Confederation. 4 September 2020.
  2. "Auckland City nominated for CWC". Oceania Football Confederation. 19 November 2020.
  3. "Auckland City FC withdraw from FIFA Club World Cup™". FIFA.com. 15 January 2021. Retrieved 15 January 2021.
  4. "Solomon Islands has its Champions League contenders". Oceania Football Confederation. 30 December 2019.
  5. "Teams vying for OFC Champions League spots". Oceania Football Confederation. 20 January 2020.
  6. "Solomon Warriors clinch sixth title". Solomon Islands Football Federation. 26 January 2020.
  7. "Champions League group hosts named". Oceania Football Confederation. 13 December 2019.
  8. "Hosts appointed for 2019 competitions". Oceania Football Confederation. 6 November 2018.
  9. "OFC tournaments, workshops, training and courses postponed until 6 May". Oceania Football Confederation. 9 March 2020.
  10. "OFC tournaments postponed". Oceania Football Confederation. 14 May 2020.
  11. "OFC tournaments update". Oceania Football Confederation. 28 July 2020.
  12. "OFC Champions League 2020 Qualifying Stage". Oceania Football Confederation.
  13. "OFC Champions League 2020 Groups A & B". Oceania Football Confederation.
  14. "OFC Champions League 2020 Groups C & D". Oceania Football Confederation.
  15. "OFC Champions League 2020 Quarter-finals". Oceania Football Confederation.
  16. "OFC Champions League 2020 Semi-finals". Oceania Football Confederation.
  17. "OFC Champions League 2020 Final". Oceania Football Confederation.
  18. "Champions League qualifying confirmed". Oceania Football Confederation. 17 December 2019.
  19. @OFCfootball (7 March 2020). "This is how Group C of the OFC Champions League 2020 ended up in Noumea 👇 Congrats to AS Magenta 🇳🇨 🇫🇷 and Solomon Warriors 🇸🇧 on their qualification to the quarterfinals 👏 👊 ⚽ #OFCCL" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  20. "Tupapa withdraws from Champions League". Oceania Football Confederation. 1 March 2020.
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