Pacific powerhouses set for OFC women’s semi-final showdown

The race for two World Cup places is down to four at the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) Under-16 Women’s Championship.

Fiji and Papua New Guinea are now flying the Pacific flag in Wednesday’s semi-finals.

The Fijians survived a seven-goal thriller against hosts Solomon Islands to reach the last four while Papua New Guinea ended a decade-long wait for a semi-final place with a 2-0 win over Sāmoa.

The two semi-final winners will qualify for the 2027 FIFA Under-17 Women’s World Cup in Morocco. This will make Wednesday’s matches the biggest tests yet for the young Pacific teams.

Fiji will face New Caledonia after they beat Solomon Islands 4-3 in Honiara on Saturday.

The young Kulas took control early through two goals from Varanisese Naiqarau before an own goal gave them a 3-1 lead at half-time.

Solomon Islands refused to go quietly as Claudisha Waokea scored twice and Freda Toro Mau adding another in a frantic second half.

Temalesi Masi’s goal just after Waokea’s second proved decisive. Fiji holding on despite the hosts hitting the crossbar late in the match.

The win sends Fiji into the semi-finals for the first time since 2023 and puts them one victory away from a first-ever FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup appearance.

Their opponents, New Caledonia, arrive with a perfect record. The Frenchwomen finished top of Group B with three wins from three after beating Tonga 4-1 on Sunday.

Heidra Adjouhgniope opened the scoring inside four minutes, continuing her run of scoring in all three group matches.

Wylone Haewegene then scored twice, either side of an Emma Jiako goal, to give New Caledonia a 4-1 win and their first-ever three-win group stage at the competition.

On the other side of the draw, Papua New Guinea will meet defending champions New Zealand.

The young Bilums had to wait until the second half to break down Sāmoa, with Delma Duadak putting them ahead before Chriszanne Sifas sealed the 2-0 win in the 85th minute.

It sends PNG back to the semi-finals for the first time since 2016, a major turnaround after they only entered the tournament as a replacement for Tahiti.

For Sāmoa, the defeat ended their hopes of reaching a third straight FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup. They had reached the previous two championship finals.

New Zealand go into the semi-final with PNG after finishing Group A unbeaten and without conceding a goal.

The defending champions put eight past the Cook Islands on Saturday, with Jess Saunders and Sienna Casson among the scorers, to finish with three wins from three and 14 goals scored.

For Fiji and PNG, the challenge is now clear. One win will put either Pacific side into the OFC final and, more importantly, book their place at the 2027 FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup.

For more details on Wednesday’s matches, click here.