October 29 – Billionaires Bill Foley and Anna Mowbray, alongside former All Black Ali Williams, have reportedly tabled a “very impressive proposal” for an 8,000-capacity football stadium at Auckland’s Western Springs site, which could become the permanent home of new A-League franchise Auckland FC.
September 24 – Australia first qualified for the World Cup finals in 1974. It was a momentous achievement for a team of mainly immigrants, playing the game as part timers, who were written off as no-hopers.
August 28 – Lee Harmon, the former President of the Cook Islands Football Association (CIFA), remains banned from the game after the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) dismissed his appeal.
February 28 – The Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) has partnered with FIFA+ to stream tournaments and competitions in a bid to ensure greater exposure for the game in the region, the confederation confirmed.
February 20 – New Zealand have booked their ticket for the Olympic Women’s Football tournament after thrashing Solomon Islands 11-1 in the Oceania qualifying final.
February 16 – The New Zealand Ferns are one match away from clinching a ticket for the Olympic Women’s Football Tournament in Paris after they eliminated Fiji to set up an OFC qualifying final against the Solomon Islands.
November 21 – Australia’s A-League has confirmed that a new Auckland-based franchise will feature in the league next season, heralding the return of professional club football to New Zealand.
October 2 – Brentford’s G-Tech Community Stadium will host a historic reignition of football rivalry between New Zealand and Australia later this month, as the ‘soccer ashes’ returns after a 69-year hiatus.
September 12 – The Olywhites of New Zealand will represent Oceania at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris after thrashing 10-man Fiji 9-0.
August 29 – The Olympic men’s qualifier between New Zealand and Papua New Guinea was derailed after the island nation failed to travel to Auckland for the opening match of the regional tournament in against the hosts at the Mt Smart Stadium.
August 18 – The Saudi Arabian Football Federation (SAFF) has strengthened ties with Oceania, signing a Memorandum of Understanding with the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC). The confederation said that the MoU does not involve a cash investment by Saudi Arabia in the region.
August 7 – Criticised for travelling via private jet on a whistlestop tour of a number of Pacific Rim nations during the group stages of the Women’s World Cup, FIFA president Gianni Infantino was back amongst Oceania confederation nations as the last 16 knockout round was kicking off.
August 2 – Having been criticised for leaving the hosts of the Women’s World Cup to tour the Pacific Islands, FIFA president Gianni Infantino has detailed his meetings and appointments on his private jet whistle-stop tour, adding a video news release from his last stop in Tonga.
By Samindra Kunti in Kigali
March 15 – Lambert Maltock from the Pacific Island Vanuatu has been re-elected for another four-year team as president of the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC).
October 24 – Concacaf and The Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding which will see the two confederations collaborate on developing the game in both regions.