1998 FIFA World Cup qualification (OFC)

Listed below are the dates and results for the 1998 FIFA World Cup qualification rounds for the Oceanian zone (OFC). For an overview of the qualification rounds, see the article 1998 FIFA World Cup qualification.

A total of 10 teams entered the competition. The Oceanian zone was allocated 0.5 places (out of 32) in the final tournament.

There would be three rounds of play:

First Round: Australia, New Zealand, Fiji and Tahiti, the four best ranked teams according to FIFA, received byes and advanced to the Second Round directly. The remaining 6 teams were divided into 2 groups of 3 teams each, namely the Melanesian Group and the Polynesian Group, based on geographical considerations. The teams played against each other once. The winner of the Melanesian Group would advance to the Second Round. The runner-up of the Melanesian Group and the winner of the Polynesian Group would advance to the First Round Play-off. In the Play-off, they played against each other on a home-and-away basis. The winner would advance to the Second Round.
Second Round: The 6 teams were divided into 2 groups of 3 teams each. The teams played against each other twice. The group winners would advance to the Final Round.
Final Round: The 2 teams played against each other on a home-and-away basis. The winner would advance to the AFC / OFC Intercontinental Play-off.

First round

Melanesian Group

Rank	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
1	Papua New Guinea	2	1	1	0	3	2	1	4
2	Solomon Islands	2	0	2	0	2	2	0	2
3	Vanuatu	2	0	1	1	2	3	-1	1

Papua New Guinea v Solomon Islands

16 September 1996

Papua New Guinea	1 – 1	Solomon Islands
Daniel 15'	(report)	Rukumana 71'

Lae, Papua New Guinea

Solomon Islands v Vanuatu

18 September 1996

Solomon Islands	1 – 1	Vanuatu
Berry 16'	(Report)	Naukoot 37'

Lae, Papua New Guinea

Papua New Guinea v Vanuatu

20 September 1996

Papua New Guinea	2 – 1	Vanuatu
Furigi 88' Karang 89'	(report)	Garo 27'

Lae, Papua New Guinea

Papua New Guinea advanced to the Second Round. Solomon Islands advanced to the First Round Play-off.

Polynesian Group

Rank	Team	Pld	W	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
1	Tonga	2	2	0	3	0	3	6
2	Western Samoa	2	1	1	2	2	0	3
3	Cook Islands	2	0	2	1	4	-3	0

Tonga v Cook Islands

11 November 1996

Tonga	2 – 0	Cook Islands
Moleni 20', 67'	(report)

Nukuʻalofa, Tonga

Western Samoa v Cook Islands

13 November 1996

Western Samoa	2 – 1	Cook Islands
Tapunuu 10' Palusami 20'	(report)	Stenter 68'

Nukuʻalofa, Tonga

Tonga v Western Samoa

15 November 1996

Tonga	1 – 0	Western Samoa
Vane 29'	(report)

Nukuʻalofa, Tonga

Tonga advanced to the First Round Play-off.

Play-off

Tonga v Solomon Islands

15 February 1997

Tonga	0 – 4	Solomon Islands
	(report)	Kiriau 34' Seni 73' Berry 85' Peli 87'

Nukuʻalofa, Tonga

Solomon Islands v Tonga

1 March 1997

Solomon Islands	9 – 0	Tonga
Berry 3', 41', 57' Rukumana 12' Wabo 37' Seni 61', 63', 74' Kiriau 66'	(report)

Honiara, Solomon Islands

Solomon Islands advanced to the Second Round by the aggregate score of 13-0.

Second round

Group 1

Rank	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
1	Australia	4	4	0	0	26	2	24	12
2	Solomon Islands	4	1	1	2	7	21	-14	4
3	Tahiti	4	0	1	3	2	12	-10	1

Australia v Solomon Islands

11 June 1997

Australia	13 – 0	Solomon Islands
Mori 2', 15', 36', 65', 80' Aloisi 33', 53', 81', 86', 87' Foster 68' Tapai 78' Bosnich 88' (pen.)	(report)	S.Daudau 52'

Sydney, Australia
Attendance: 3,127
Referee: Bruce Edward Grimshaw (New Zealand)

Australia v Tahiti

13 June 1997

Australia	5 – 0	Tahiti
Vidmar 14' Trimboli 37', 42' Arnold 47' Bingley 66'	(report)

Sydney, Australia
Attendance: 2,869
Referee: Brian Geoffery Precious (New Zealand)

Solomon Islands v Tahiti

15 June 1997

Solomon Islands	4 – 1	Tahiti
Seni 37' Berry 39', 80' Toata 89'	(report)	Ludivion 82'

Sydney, Australia
Attendance: 253
Referee: Neil Fox (New Zealand)

Solomon Islands v Australia

17 June 1997

Solomon Islands	2 – 6	Australia
Rukumana 44' Peli 59' Suri 65' Rukumana 73'	(report)	Slater 15' Arnold 17' Kaierea 38' (o.g.) Tapai 47', 51' Vidmar 75' (pen.)

Sydney, Australia
Attendance: 2,122
Referee: Brian Geoffery Precious (New Zealand)

Tahiti v Australia

19 June 1997

Tahiti	0 – 2	Australia
	(report)	Zelic 8' Trimboli 86'

Sydney, Australia
Attendance: 2,918
Referee: Bruce Edward Grimshaw (New Zealand)

Tahiti v Solomon Islands

21 June 1997

Tahiti	1 – 1	Solomon Islands
Rousseau 38'	(report)	Kwaomae 43' A.Peli 50'

Sydney, Australia
Referee: Bruce Edward Grimshaw (New Zealand)

Australia advanced to the Final Round.

Group 2

Rank	Team	Pld	W	L	GF	GA	GD	width Pts
1	New Zealand	4	3	1	13	1	12	9
2	Fiji	4	2	2	4	7	-3	6
3	Papua New Guinea	4	1	3	2	11	-9	3

Papua New Guinea v New Zealand

31 May 1997

Papua New Guinea	1 – 0	New Zealand
Niakuam 80'	(report)

Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea
Attendance: 3,000
Referee: Nik Ahmad Haji Yaakub (Malaysia)

Fiji v New Zealand

7 June 1997

Fiji	0 – 1	New Zealand
	(report)	Jackson 80' (pen.)

Ba, Fiji
Attendance: 5,500
Referee: Eugene Brazzale (Australia)

New Zealand v Papua New Guinea

11 June 1997

New Zealand	7 – 0	Papua New Guinea
Coveny 10', 13', 67' Rufer 22', 31' Elliott 40' Stevens 80'	(report)

Auckland, New Zealand
Referee: Eddie Lennie (Australia)

Fiji v Papua New Guinea

15 June 1997

Fiji	3 – 1	Papua New Guinea
Pita 22' Masinisau 26' Duguga 89'	(report)	Waiwai 68'

Suva, Fiji
Referee: Eddie Lennie (Australia)

New Zealand v Fiji

18 June 1997

New Zealand	5 – 0	Fiji
Rufer 17', 77' Coveny 63' Viljoen 80' van Steeden 85'	(report)	Lomu 51'

Auckland, New Zealand
Attendance: 12,033
Referee: Massimo Raveino (Tahiti)

Papua New Guinea v Fiji

21 June 1997

Papua New Guinea	0 – 1	Fiji
	(report)	Driu 1'

Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea
Referee: Pirom Anprasert (Thailand)

New Zealand advanced to the Final Round.

Final round

New Zealand v Australia

28 June 1997

New Zealand	0 – 3	Australia
Jackson 67'	(report)	Aloisi 18' Vidmar 42' Foster 67'

Auckland, New Zealand
Attendance: 23,000
Referee: Masayoshi Okada (Japan)

Australia v New Zealand

5 July 1997

Australia	2 – 0	New Zealand
Zelic 6' Arnold 54'	(report)

Sydney, Australia
Attendance: 14,045
Referee: Jamal Al Sharif (Syria)

Australia advanced to the AFC / OFC Intercontinental Play-off by the aggregate score of 5-0.

Goalscorers

7 goals

Noel Berry

6 goals

John Aloisi

5 goals

Damian Mori

Robert Seni

4 goals

Vaughan Coveny

Wynton Rufer

3 goals

Paul Trimboli

Aurelio Vidmar

2 goals

Craig Foster
Ned Zelic

George Kiriau
Augustine Peli

Eddie Rukumana
Timote Moleni

1 goals

Mark Bosnich
Matthew Bingley
Robbie Slater
Mani Stenter
Solome Pita
Esala Masinisau
Liuai Duguga
Alivate Driu
Chris Jackson
Simon Elliott

Tim Stevens
Riki van Steeden
Nik Viljoen
Richard Daniel
Batman Furigi
Roy Karang
Francis Niakuam
Wesley Waiwai
Michael Junior Palusami
Jeffrey Kwaomae

T. Tapunuu
Moses Toata
Batram Suri
Danny Wabo
Jean Ludivion
Jean-Loup Rousseau
Tolutau Vane
Reginal Garo
Iau Tuan Naukoot

1 own goal

Jimmy Kaierea (playing against Australia)

External links

1998 FIFA World Cup qualification (OFC) at FIFA.com

1998 FIFA World Cup qualifiers

AFC	First Round Final Round Play-off

CAF	First Round Final Round

CONCACAF	Preliminary Round First Round Second Round Third Round Fourth Round

CONMEBOL	Group Round

OFC	First Round Second Round Third Round

UEFA	Group 1 Group 2 Group 3 Group 4 Group 5 Group 6 Group 7 Group 8 Group 9 Play-offs

Play-offs	AFC v OFC