FIFA President Gianni Infantino says Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) members will inspire youngsters across the region as they contest a historic first automatic qualifying spot at a FIFA World Cup™ following the preliminary draw for the 2026 tournament. Of OFC’s 11 current members, who will all participate in qualifying for the first time since attempting to reach the FIFA World Cup 2018™, only New Zealand has already featured at a FIFA World Cup (1982, 2010). The region’s previous qualifying competition formats ultimately led to a play-off with teams from other confederations. Ahead of the start of qualifying for the FIFA World Cup 26™, which will be the most inclusive ever featuring an unprecedented 48 teams, OFC members know there is one spot dedicated to them at the tournament co-hosted by Canada, Mexico and the United States.

“Only one of the teams in this draw has ever played at a men’s FIFA World Cup before but now, with our expanded tournament, all others can dream of qualifying for the very first time,” said the FIFA President in a video message played at the draw. “These qualifying matches will inspire young people all over Oceania and are another opportunity to bring people together through football.”

Qualifying starts in September when the four lowest-ranked OFC countries in the FIFA/Coca-Cola World Rankings of July 2024 stage a knockout tournament: Cook Islands vs Tonga and American Samoa vs Samoa with a final between the victors three days later. The winner will progress to round two, and the preliminary draw split the eight remaining teams into two groups of four. Those matches will be played in October and November this year.

The top two teams in each group will move into round three, and play knockout matches in March 2025 to determine the one automatic FIFA World Cup 26 qualifier. The runner-up will also have the opportunity to reach the final tournament via the FIFA Intercontinental Play-off Tournament, potentially giving Oceania a second representative at the final tournament in two years’ time.

“Today is a pinnacle time for our Confederation, and our Member Associations. For many players a milestone has been reached, and for all the teams participating a great opportunity lies ahead,” said FIFA Vice President and OFC President Lambert Maltock in a video message played at the draw, which was held at FIFA headquarters in Zurich, Switzerland, and conducted by Dame Sarai Bareman, FIFA’s Chief Women’s Football Officer. “We at OFC have spent the last couple of years working with our Member Associations to elevate and build a map to this very moment. A lot of time dedicated to upholding, and focusing, on OFC’s three strategic pillars – development, education, and high performance – to ensure we are collectively excelling on and off the pitch. Congratulations to our Member Associations, coaches, teams, and players. Your journey to the FIFA World Cup 2026 begins today.”