2017 OFC Champions League explained

Tourney Name:OFC Champions League
Year:2017
Country:Qualifying stage:
Country2:Group stage:


Dates:Qualifying stage:

Competition proper:
25 February – 7 May 2017
Num Teams:Competition proper: 16
Total: 18
Associations:11
Champion Other: Auckland City
Count:9
Second Other: Team Wellington
Matches:36
Goals:161
Top Scorer: Ryan De Vries
Tom Jackson
João Moreira
Player: Ángel Berlanga
Goalkeeper: Eñaut Zubikarai
Fair Play: Auckland City
Prevseason:2016
Nextseason:2018

The 2017 OFC Champions League was the 16th edition of the Oceanian Club Championship, Oceania's premier club football tournament organized by the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC), and the 11th season under the current OFC Champions League name.

In the final, Auckland City defeated Team Wellington 5–0 on aggregate and won the OFC Champions League seven years in a row and nine times in total, and qualified as the OFC representative at the 2017 FIFA Club World Cup in the United Arab Emirates.[1]

Format change

The OFC decided to expand the tournament and change the format for the 2017 edition:[2]

Teams

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

AssociationTeamQualifying method
Teams entering the group stage
FijiBa2016 Fiji National Football League champions
Rewa2016 Fiji National Football League runners-up
New CaledoniaMagenta2015 New Caledonia Super Ligue champions
Hienghène Sport2015 New Caledonia Super Ligue runners-up
New ZealandTeam Wellington2015–16 New Zealand Football Championship grand final champions
Auckland City2015–16 New Zealand Football Championship regular season premiers
Papua New GuineaLae City Dwellers2015–16 Papua New Guinea National Champions League runners-up
Madang2015–16 Papua New Guinea National Soccer League fifth place
Solomon IslandsMarist2016 Solomon Islands S-League champions
Western United2016 Solomon Islands S-League runners-up
TahitiTefana2015–16 Tahiti Ligue 1 champions
Central Sport2015–16 Tahiti Ligue 1 runners-up
VanuatuMalampa Revivors2015 VFF National Super League runners-up
Erakor Golden Star2016 Port Vila Top Four Super League winners
Teams entering the qualifying stage
American SamoaUtulei Youth2015 FFAS Senior League champions
Cook IslandsPuaikura2016 Cook Islands Round Cup champions
SamoaLupe o le Soaga2014–15 Samoa National League champions
TongaVeitongo2015 Tonga Major League champions
Notes

Schedule

The schedule of the competition was as follows.

StageDraw dateMatch datesMatchdayMatches
Qualifying stage24 August 2016
(Auckland, New Zealand)
28 January – 3 February 2017Matchday 1Team 4 vs. Team 1, Team 2 vs. Team 3
Matchday 2Team 1 vs. Team 3, Team 4 vs. Team 2
Matchday 3Team 1 vs. Team 2, Team 3 vs. Team 4
Group stage
  • Group A: 25 February – 3 March 2017
  • Group B: 26 February – 4 March 2017
  • Group C: 11–18 March 2017
  • Group D: 11–17 March 2017
Matchday 1Team 4 vs. Team 1, Team 2 vs. Team 3
Matchday 2Team 1 vs. Team 3, Team 4 vs. Team 2
Matchday 3Team 1 vs. Team 2, Team 3 vs. Team 4
Semi-finals20 March 2017
(Auckland, New Zealand)
8–16 April 2017First legSemi-finalist 1 vs. Semi-finalist 2, Semi-finalist 3 vs. Semi-finalist 4
Second legSemi-finalist 2 vs. Semi-finalist 1, Semi-finalist 4 vs. Semi-finalist 3
Final30 April – 7 May 2017First legFinalist 1 vs. Finalist 2
Second legFinalist 2 vs. Finalist 1

Draw

The draw of the qualifying stage and group stage was held on 24 August 2016, 12:30 NZST (UTC+12), at the OFC Headquarters in Auckland, New Zealand.[3] [4] [5]

For the qualifying stage, the four teams were drawn into each of the four positions 1–4 to determine the fixtures.

+Qualifying stage draw
width=100%Pot 1

For the group stage, the 16 teams (14 teams entering the group stage and two teams advancing from the qualifying stage) were drawn into four groups of four, with each group containing one team from each of the four pots 1–4, which also represented the positions in each group to determine the fixtures. Teams from the same association could not be drawn into the same group. The teams were seeded based on the following:

+Group stage draw
width=25%Pot 1width=25%Pot 2width=25%Pot 3width=25%Pot 4
Notes

Qualifying stage

In the qualifying stage, the four teams played each other on a round-robin basis. The winners and runners-up advanced to the group stage to join the 14 direct entrants.

Matches were played between 28 January – 3 February 2017 in Nukuʻalofa, Tonga. All times were local, TOT (UTC+13).--------

Group stage

In the group stage, the four teams in each group played each other on a round-robin basis. The four group winners advanced to the semi-finals.

The hosts of each group were announced on 10 October 2016.[6] The schedule was confirmed on 17 January 2017.[7]

Group A

Matches were played between 25 February – 3 March 2017 in Nouméa, New Caledonia. All times were local, NCT (UTC+11).--------

Group B

Matches were played between 26 February – 4 March 2017 in Koné, New Caledonia. All times were local, NCT (UTC+11).--------

Group C

Matches were played between 11–18 March 2017 in Auckland, New Zealand. All times were local, NZDT (UTC+13).--------

Group D

Matches were played between 11–17 March 2017 in Pirae, Tahiti. All times were local, TAHT (UTC−10).--------

Knockout stage

In the knockout stage, the four teams played on a single-elimination basis, with each tie played on a home-and-away two-legged basis. If tied on aggregate, away goals were the first tie-breaker.

The draw for the knockout stage was held on 20 March 2017, 11:30 NZDT (UTC+13), at the OFC Headquarters in Auckland, New Zealand, to decide the matchups and the order of legs of the semi-finals, and the order of legs of the final.[8] [9]

Semi-finals

Matches were played on 8 and 16 April 2017.[9]

|-|}

Auckland City won 4–0 on aggregate.----Team Wellington won 9–3 on aggregate.

Final

See main article: article and 2017 OFC Champions League Final.

Matches were played on the 30 April and 7 May 2017.[10]

Auckland City won 5–0 on aggregate.

Top goalscorers

RankPlayerTeam    Total
1 Ryan De Vries Auckland City4026
Tom Jackson Team Wellington420
João Moreira Auckland City312
4 Guilherme Guedes Marist55
Tony Kaltack Erakor Golden Star5
Nicolas Marin Magenta41
7 César Castillo Central Sport44
Bertrand Kaï Hienghène Sport4
9 Suivai Ataga Lupe o le Soaga303
Andy Bevin Team Wellington120
Maro Bonsu-Maro Puaikura30
Cherbel Khouchaba Lupe o le Soaga03
Clayton Lewis Auckland City210
Emiliano Tade Auckland City111
Lapalapa Toni Lupe o le Soaga21

Awards

The following awards were given at the conclusion of the tournament.[11]

AwardPlayerTeam
Golden Ball Ángel Berlanga Auckland City
Golden Boot João Moreira Auckland City
Golden Glove Eñaut Zubikarai Auckland City
Fair Play Award Auckland City

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Auckland City into Club World Cup. Stuff. Liam Hyslop.
  2. Web site: New expanded format for 2017. Oceania Football Confederation. 28 June 2016.
  3. Web site: Live draw for expanded Champions League. Oceania Football Confederation. 23 August 2016.
  4. Web site: 2017 OFC CHAMPIONS LEAGUE DRAW. YouTube. 24 August 2016.
  5. Web site: Group make-up revealed for Champions League. Oceania Football Confederation. 24 August 2016.
  6. Web site: Group hosts named for 2017. Oceania Football Confederation. 10 October 2016.
  7. Web site: 2017 Champions League Match Schedule confirmed. Oceania Football Confederation. 17 January 2017.
  8. Web site: 2017 OCL Semis & Finals Draw. YouTube. 19 March 2017.
  9. Web site: Re-matches on as semi-finals confirmed. Oceania Football Confederation. 20 March 2017.
  10. Web site: All Kiwi final coming to Auckland and Wellington. Oceania Football Confederation. 19 April 2017.
  11. Web site: Navy Blues claim seventh in-a-row. Oceania Football Confederation. 7 May 2017.