2019 OFC Champions League
# 2019 OFC Champions League

The 2019 OFC Champions League was the 18th edition of the Oceanian Club Championship, Oceania's premier club football tournament organized by the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC), and the 13th season under the current OFC Champions League name.

In the final, Hienghène Sport defeated Magenta 1–0, becoming the first team from New Caledonia to win the tournament. As the winners of the 2019 OFC Champions League, they qualified for the 2019 FIFA Club World Cup in Qatar. Team Wellington were the defending champions, but were eliminated by Hienghène Sport in the semi-finals.

## Teams

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) are awarded two berths each in the group stage.
* The four developing associations (American Samoa, Cook Islands, Samoa, Tonga) are 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 | Lautoka | 2018 Fiji Premier League champions |
| Fiji | Ba | 2018 Fiji Premier League runners-up |
| New Caledonia | Hienghène Sport | 2017 New Caledonia Super Ligue champions |
| New Caledonia | Magenta | 2017 New Caledonia Super Ligue runners-up |
| New Zealand | Auckland City | 2017–18 New Zealand Football Championship finals series champions 2017–18 New Zealand Football Championship regular season premiers |
| New Zealand | Team Wellington | 2017–18 New Zealand Football Championship regular season runners-up |
| Papua New Guinea | Toti City | 2018 Papua New Guinea National Soccer League playoffs champions 2018 Papua New Guinea National Soccer League regular season premiers |
| Papua New Guinea | Morobe Wawens | 2018 Papua New Guinea National Soccer League regular season runners-up |
| Solomon Islands | Solomon Warriors | 2018 Solomon Islands S-League champions |
| Solomon Islands | Henderson Eels | 2018 Solomon Islands S-League runners-up |
| Tahiti | Central Sport | 2017–18 Tahiti Ligue 1 champions |
| Tahiti | Tefana | 2017–18 Tahiti Ligue 1 runners-up |
| Vanuatu | Erakor Golden Star | 2018 VFF National Super League grand final champions |
| Vanuatu | Malampa Revivors | 2018 VFF National Super League grand final runners-up |

Teams entering the qualifying stage :

| Association | Team | Qualifying method |
| - | - | - |
| American Samoa | Pago Youth | 2017 FFAS Senior League champions |
| Cook Islands | Tupapa Maraerenga | 2018 Cook Islands Round Cup champions |
| Samoa | Kiwi | 2018 Samoa National League champions |
| Tonga | Lotohaʻapai United | 2018 Tonga Major League champions |

## Schedule

The schedule of the competition was as follows. For this season, all ties in the knockout stage were played as a single match.

| Stage | Draw date | Match dates |
| - | - | - |
| Qualifying stage | 13 November 2018 (Auckland, New Zealand) | 26 January – 1 February 2019 (Cook Islands) |
| Group stage | 13 November 2018 (Auckland, New Zealand) | Group A: 10–16 February 2019 (New Caledonia) Group B: 10–16 February 2019 (Fiji) Group C: 23 February – 1 March 2019 (Vanuatu) Group D: 24 February – 2 March 2019 (Solomon Islands) |
| Quarter-finals | 5 March 2019 (Auckland, New Zealand) | 6–7 April 2019 |
| Semi-finals | 5 March 2019 (Auckland, New Zealand) | 28 April 2019 |
| Final | 5 March 2019 (Auckland, New Zealand) | 11 May 2019 |

## Qualifying stage

The draw for the qualifying stage was held on 13 November 2018 at the OFC Headquarters in Auckland, New Zealand. The champions of the host association (Cook Islands) were allocated to Position 1, and the champions of the three remaining developing associations were drawn to determine the fixtures (first team drawn allocated to Position 2, second team drawn allocated to Position 3, third team drawn allocated to Position 4). 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 26 January – 1 February 2019 in the Cook Islands.

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | TUP | KIW | LOT | PAG |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | Tupapa Maraerenga (H) | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 3 | +7 | 9 | Group stage | — | 4–1 | 4–1 | 2–1 |
| 2 | Kiwi | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 14 | 8 | +6 | 6 | Group stage | — | — | — | 4–3 |
| 3 | Lotohaʻapai United | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 14 | −7 | 3 | | — | 1–9 | — | — |
| 4 | Pago Youth | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 5 | 11 | −6 | 0 | | — | — | 1–5 | — |

## Group stage

The draw for the group stage was held on 13 November 2018 at the OFC Headquarters in Auckland, New Zealand. 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 the following mechanism:

* The champions of the four host associations (Fiji, New Caledonia, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu) were drawn into Position 1 of Groups A–D.
* The champions of the three remaining developed associations, and the runners-up of New Zealand, by virtue of having the best second team in the 2018 OFC Champions League, were drawn into Position 2 of Groups A–D.
* The runners-up of the six developed associations apart from New Zealand were drawn into Position 3 of Groups A–D and Position 4 of Groups A–B (first team drawn to Groups A–B allocated to Position 3, second team drawn to Groups A–B allocated to Position 4). Teams from the same association could not be drawn into the same group.
* The winners and runners-up of the qualifying stage, whose identity was not known at the time of the draw, were drawn into Position 4 of Groups C–D.

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 10–16 February 2019 in New Caledonia.
* Group B matches were played between 10–16 February 2019 in Fiji.
* Group C matches were played between 23 February – 1 March 2019 in Vanuatu.
* Group D matches were played between 24 February – 2 March 2019 in the Solomon Islands.

### Group A

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | HIE | TOT | TEF | MAL |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | Hienghène Sport (H) | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 1 | +6 | 7 | Knockout stage | — | 1–1 | 1–0 | — |
| 2 | Toti City | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 8 | 6 | +2 | 5 | Knockout stage | — | — | 3–3 | — |
| 3 | Tefana | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 7 | −1 | 2 | | — | — | — | 3–3 |
| 4 | Malampa Revivors | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 12 | −7 | 1 | | 0–5 | 2–4 | — | — |

### Group B

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | CEN | HEN | LAU | MOR |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | Central Sport | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 12 | 4 | +8 | 7 | Knockout stage | — | 3–2 | — | — |
| 2 | Henderson Eels | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 15 | 8 | +7 | 6 | Knockout stage | — | — | — | 7–0 |
| 3 | Lautoka (H) | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 12 | 8 | +4 | 4 | | 2–2 | 5–6 | — | — |
| 4 | Morobe Wawens | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 19 | −19 | 0 | | 0–7 | — | 0–5 | — |

### Group C

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | WEL | BAF | ERA | KIW |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | Team Wellington | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 0 | +18 | 9 | Knockout stage | — | 2–0 | — | — |
| 2 | Ba | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 4 | +2 | 4 | Knockout stage | — | — | — | 5–1 |
| 3 | Erakor Golden Star (H) | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 4 | −1 | 4 | | 0–3 | 1–1 | — | — |
| 4 | Kiwi | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 20 | −19 | 0 | | 0–13 | — | 0–2 | — |

### Group D

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | AUC | MAG | SWA | TUP |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | Auckland City | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 23 | 1 | +22 | 9 | Knockout stage | — | 2–1 | — | — |
| 2 | Magenta | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 14 | 3 | +11 | 6 | Knockout stage | — | — | — | 10–1 |
| 3 | Solomon Warriors (H) | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 10 | 10 | 0 | 3 | | 0–6 | 0–3 | — | — |
| 4 | Tupapa Maraerenga | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 35 | −33 | 0 | | 0–15 | — | 1–10 | — |

## Knockout stage

The eight teams in the knockout stage played on a single-elimination basis, with each tie played as a single match.

### Bracket

The bracket was decided after the draw for the knockout stage (quarter-finals, semi-finals, and final), which was held on 5 March 2019 at the OFC Headquarters in Auckland, New Zealand.

| Quarter-finals | Quarter-finals | Semi-finals | Semi-finals | | Final | Final |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 7 April | 7 April | | | |
| Central Sport | 0 | | | |
| Central Sport | 0 | 28 April | 28 April | | |
| Magenta | 8 | 28 April | 28 April | |
| Magenta | 8 | Magenta | 2 | |
| 6 April | 6 April | | Magenta | 2 | |
| 6 April | 6 April | Auckland City | 1 | |
| Auckland City | 4 | Auckland City | 1 | |
| Auckland City | 4 | | | | 11 May | 11 May |
| Toti City | 0 | | | | 11 May | 11 May |
| Toti City | 0 | | | | Magenta | 0 |
| 6 April | 6 April | | | | | Magenta | 0 |
| 6 April | 6 April | | | | Hienghène Sport | 1 |
| Hienghène Sport (a.e.t.) | 2 | | | | Hienghène Sport | 1 |
| Hienghène Sport (a.e.t.) | 2 | 28 April | 28 April | | | |
| Ba | 1 | 28 April | 28 April | | | |
| Ba | 1 | Hienghène Sport | 2 | | | |
| 7 April | 7 April | | Hienghène Sport | 2 | | | |
| 7 April | 7 April | Team Wellington | 0 | |
| Team Wellington | 6 | Team Wellington | 0 | |
| Henderson Eels | 1 | | | |

### Quarter-finals

In the quarter-finals, the winners of one group played the runners-up of another group (teams from same group could not play each other), with the group winners hosting the match, and the matchups decided by draw. The quarter-finals were played between 6–7 April 2019.

| Team 1 | Score | Team 2 |
| - | - | - |
| Central Sport | 0–8 | Magenta |
| Auckland City | 4–0 | Toti City |
| Hienghène Sport | 2–1 (a.e.t.) | Ba |
| Team Wellington | 6–1 | Henderson Eels |

### Semi-finals

In the semi-finals, the four quarter-final winners played in two ties, with the matchups and host teams decided by draw. The semi-finals were played on 28 April 2019.

| Team 1 | Score | Team 2 |
| - | - | - |
| Hienghène Sport | 2–0 | Team Wellington |
| Magenta | 2–1 | Auckland City |

### Final

In the final, the two semi-final winners played each other, with the host team decided by draw. The final was played on 11 May 2019.

## Top goalscorers

| Rank | Player | Team | QS2 | QS3 | GS1 | GS2 | GS3 | QF | SF | Total |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | Ross Allen | Team Wellington | | | 1 | 6 | 1 | 3 | | 11 |
| 2 | David Browne | Auckland City | | | | 2 | 1 | 3 | | 6 |
| 2 | Yorick Hnautra | Magenta | | | | | 4 | 2 | | 6 |
| 2 | Kevin Nemia | Magenta | | | | | 2 | 3 | 1 | 6 |
| 2 | Paulo Scanlan | Kiwi | 2 | 4 | | | | | | | | 6 |
| 6 | Sylvain Graglia | Central Sport | | | 1 | 4 | | | | 5 |
| 6 | Micah Lea'alafa | Auckland City | | | 1 | 2 | 1 | | 1 | 5 |
| 8 | Maro Bonsu-Maro | Auckland City | | | | 4 | | | | 4 |
| 8 | Nigel Dabinyaba | Toti City | | | 2 | 1 | 1 | | | | 4 |
| 8 | Raymond Gunemba | Toti City | | | 1 | 3 | | | | | 4 |
| 8 | Bertrand Kaï | Hienghène Sport | | | 3 | | | 1 | | 4 |
| 8 | Richard Sele | Magenta | | | 1 | 2 | | 1 | | 4 |
| 8 | Jack-Henry Sinclair | Team Wellington | | | | | 2 | 2 | | 4 |
| 8 | Fabrizio Tavano | Auckland City | | | | 3 | 1 | | | 4 |

## Awards

The following awards were given at the conclusion of the tournament.

| Award | Player | Team |
| - | - | - |
| Golden Ball | Bertrand Kaï | Hienghène Sport |
| Golden Boot | Ross Allen | Team Wellington |
| Golden Glove | Rocky Nyikeine | Hienghène Sport |
| Fair Play Award | — | Auckland City |
