2020 OFC Champions League explained

Tourney Name:OFC Champions League
Year:2020
Country:Qualifying stage:
New Zealand
Country2:Group stage:
Papua New Guinea
Vanuatu
New Caledonia
Tahiti
Dates:Qualifying stage:

Group stage:

Knockout stage:
Cancelled (originally 4 April – 16 May 2020)
Num Teams:Competition proper: 16
Total: 18
Associations:11
Champion Other:Not awarded
Matches:24
Goals:92
Prevseason:2019
Nextseason:2021
2022

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.

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 tournament was abandoned 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 the 2020 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group stage, which was topped by Auckland City.[2] However, on 15 January 2021, FIFA announced that Auckland City had withdrawn from the competition due to the COVID-19 pandemic and related quarantine measures required by the New Zealand authorities,[3] meaning that no OFC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

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

Teams entering the group stage
width=150Associationwidth=150Teamwidth=500Qualifying method
Ba2019 Fiji Premier League champions
Lautoka2019 Fiji Premier League runners-up
Magenta2018 New Caledonia Super Ligue champions
Hienghène Sport2018 New Caledonia Super Ligue runners-up
Eastern Suburbs2018–19 New Zealand Football Championship finals series champions
Auckland City2018–19 New Zealand Football Championship regular season premiers
Lae City2019 Papua New Guinea National Soccer League champions
Hekari United2019 Papua New Guinea National Soccer League runners-up
Solomon Warriors2019–20 Solomon Islands S-League champions
Henderson Eels2019–20 Solomon Islands S-League runners-up
Vénus2018–19 Tahiti Ligue 1 champions
Tiare Tahiti2018–19 Tahiti Ligue 1 runners-up
Malampa Revivors2019 VFF National Super League grand final champions
Galaxy2019 VFF National Super League grand final runners-up
Teams entering the qualifying stage
width=150Associationwidth=150Teamwidth=500Qualifying method
Pago Youth2018 FFAS Senior League champions
Tupapa Maraerenga2019 Cook Islands Round Cup champions
Lupe o le Soaga2019 Samoa National League champions
Veitongo2019 Tonga Major League champions
Notes

Schedule

The schedule of the competition is as follows.[4] 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.[5] 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.[6] On 14 May 2020, it was announced that the quarter-finals had been postponed until September 2020 at the earliest.[7] 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.[8] On 4 September 2020, the OFC announced that the tournament was abandoned.[1]

StageDraw dateMatch dates
Qualifying stage13 December 201925–31 January 2020 (New Zealand)[9]
Group stage
  • Group A: 16–22 February 2020 (Papua New Guinea)[10]
  • Group B: 15–21 February 2020 (Vanuatu)
  • Group C: 1–7 March 2020 (New Caledonia)[11]
  • Group D: 1–7 March 2020 (Tahiti)
Quarter-finalsCancelledCancelled (originally 4–5 April 2020)[12]
Semi-finalsCancelled (originally 25–26 April 2020)[13]
FinalCancelled (originally 16 May 2020)[14]

Qualifying stage

See main article: 2020 OFC Champions League qualifying stage.

Group stage

See main article: 2020 OFC Champions League group stage.

Group D

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]

Groupwidth=200Winnerswidth=200Runners-up
A Eastern Suburbs Galaxy
B Malampa Revivors Henderson Eels
C Magenta Solomon Warriors
D Auckland City Vénus

Qualification to FIFA Club World Cup

Due to the abandonment of the tournament, 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]

Top goalscorers

RankPlayerTeamTotal
1 Martín Bueno Eastern Suburbs2226
2 Emmanuel Simon Lae City224
Teaonui Tehau Vénus13
4 Andre Batick Malampa Revivors33
Nigel Dabinyaba Lae City12
Joses Nawo Henderson Eels21
Tamatoa Tetauira Vénus3
8 Joseph Athale Hienghène Sport112
Myer Bevan Auckland City11
Terence Carter Galaxy11
Jack Caunter Lautoka11
Samuela Drudru Ba11
Raymond Gunemba Lae City2
Brian Kaltak Auckland City11
Ati Kepo Hekari United2
Raphael Le'ai Henderson Eels11
Kevin Nemia Magenta2
Hema Polovili Veitongo2
Manarii Porlier Tiare Tahiti2
Roberson Galaxy11
Emiliano Tade Auckland City2
Tutizama Tanito Henderson Eels2

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: OFC Champions League 2020 cancelled. Oceania Football Confederation. 4 September 2020.
  2. Web site: Auckland City nominated for CWC. Oceania Football Confederation. 19 November 2020.
  3. Web site: Auckland City FC withdraw from FIFA Club World Cup . FIFA.com . 15 January 2021 . 15 January 2021.
  4. Web site: Champions League group hosts named. Oceania Football Confederation. 13 December 2019.
  5. Web site: Hosts appointed for 2019 competitions. Oceania Football Confederation. 6 November 2018.
  6. Web site: OFC tournaments, workshops, training and courses postponed until 6 May. Oceania Football Confederation. 9 March 2020.
  7. Web site: OFC tournaments postponed. Oceania Football Confederation. 14 May 2020.
  8. Web site: OFC tournaments update. Oceania Football Confederation. 28 July 2020.
  9. Web site: OFC Champions League 2020 Qualifying Stage. Oceania Football Confederation.
  10. Web site: OFC Champions League 2020 Groups A & B. Oceania Football Confederation.
  11. Web site: OFC Champions League 2020 Groups C & D. Oceania Football Confederation.
  12. Web site: OFC Champions League 2020 Quarter-finals. Oceania Football Confederation.
  13. Web site: OFC Champions League 2020 Semi-finals. Oceania Football Confederation.
  14. Web site: OFC Champions League 2020 Final. Oceania Football Confederation.