The five competing nations of Oceania now know their path to the FIFA World Cup in Paraguay
Another step towards the greatest beach soccer show on Earth is taken as the OFC release the match schedule for the Beach Soccer Nations Cup, which will see hopeful Oceanian sides looking to reach the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup in Paraguay.
The OFC Beach Soccer Nations Cup is to be held in Tahiti as a part of the Festival des îles. The five teams taking part will be New Caledonia, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, first-timers Tonga and reigning champs Tahiti.
The tournament will take place between 17 and 22 June in Papeete, the French Polynesia capital.
Just one berth in the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup is up for grabs.
All five teams will face each other once in a round robin format, featuring two games per day and one of the five teams resting each day.
The contest will conclude on 22 June with the final and the third-place play-off.
OFC Competition Director Chris Kemp stated that, “We are confident that Tahiti, which distinguished itself on the global stage both by reaching two World Cup finals and by hosting the successful 2013 FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup, has the necessary infrastructure and experience to deliver a top-class event which we are all very much looking forward to.”
MATCH SCHEDULE:
June 17
New Caledonia v Solomon Islands
Tahiti v Vanuatu
June 18
Vanuatu v Solomon Islands
Tahiti v Tonga
June 19
Solomon Islands v Tonga
Vanuatu v New Caledonia
June 20
Tonga v New Caledonia
Solomon Islands v Tahiti
June 21
Tonga v Vanuatu
New Caledonia v Tahiti
June 22
Third-place play-off
FINAL
