CAPTION: The champion Ba team will once again present Fiji in the O-League series. Photo: SHALENDRA PRASAD.
OFC is pleased to announce the draw for the 2013 OFC Champions League, Oceania’s premier club competition and the qualifier for the prestigious FIFA Club World Cup Morocco 2013.
The tournament, previously known as the O-League, has undergone a change of format for the 2013 edition and will see eight of the Pacific’s finest teams from seven OFC member association countries fight it out for the right to be crowned kings of Oceania from 30 March 2013 to 19 May 2013.
As in recent seasons, the eight teams will be split into two groups with Ba (Fiji), Hekari United (Papua New Guinea), Solomon Warriors (Solomon Islands) and Amicale (Vanuatu) competing in Group A while Mont Dore (New Caledonia), Auckland City (New Zealand), Waitakere United (New Zealand) and Dragon (Tahiti) do battle in Group B.
Unlike in previous years, however, a semi-final stage will now be played and will feature the two highest-placed teams in each group. The winner of Group A will face the second-placed team in Group B while the winner of Group B will meet the second-placed team in Group A.
These matches will be played over two legs on a home-and-away basis.
The victorious semi-final teams will then clash in a winner-takes-all final at a pre-determined venue. For the 2013 edition, this venue will be in Auckland, New Zealand.
The draw for the 2013 OFC Champions League is as follows.
2013 OFC Champions League
Group Stage
Group A
Saturday 30 March
Solomon Warriors vs. Amicale
Hekari United vs. Ba
Wednesday 3 April
Solomon Warriors vs. Ba
Saturday 6 April
Hekari United vs. Amicale
Saturday 13 April
Amicale vs. Solomon Warriors
Ba vs. Hekari United
Wednesday 17 April
Amicale vs. Hekari United
Ba vs. Solomon Warriors
Saturday 20 April
Solomon Warriors vs. Hekari United
Amicale vs. Ba
Saturday 27 April
Ba vs. Amicale
Hekari United vs. Solomon Warriors
Group B
Saturday 30 March
Mont-Dore vs. Auckland City
Waitakere United vs. Dragon
Friday 5 April
Mont-Dore vs. Dragon
Saturday 6 April
Waitakere United vs. Auckland City
Friday 12 April
Auckland City vs. Mont-Dore
Dragon vs. Waitakere United
Wednesday 17 April
Waitakere United vs. Mont-Dore
Auckland City vs. Dragon
Sunday 21 April
Auckland City vs. Waitakere United
Tuesday 23 April
Dragon vs. Mont-Dore
Saturday 27 April
Dragon vs. Auckland City
Sunday 28 April
Mont-Dore vs. Waitakere United
Semi-finals
First leg
Saturday 4 May
Winner Group A vs. 2nd-placed Group B
Winner Group B vs. 2nd-placed Group A
Second leg
Saturday 11 May
Winner Group A vs. 2nd-placed Group B
Winner Group B vs. 2nd-placed Group A
Final
Sunday 19 May
Winner SF1 vs. Winner SF2
OFC PRESS RELEASE