January 16 – On Saturday, Auckland FC kick off the new OFC Pro League, a competition, backed by FIFA, and part of the confederation’s drive to professionalise the game across the Pacific.
Marking a new chapter in the region’s game, the league will get underway at Auckland’s famous Eden Park with Vanuatu United facing Bula FC, followed by Auckland FC against South Island United. The Auckland franchise will be competing in both Australia’s A-League and the OFC Pro League at the same time with separate squads.
South Melbourne are also among the participants. They are not a part of the OFC as Australia is not a member of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). The Australian club also doesn’t play in the A-League but last month South Melbourne won the inaugural Australian Championship.
The other Pro League participants are Bula FC (Fiji), PNG Hekari (Papua New Guinea), Solomon Kings (Solomon Islands), South Island United (New Zealand), Tahiti United (French Polynesia) and Vanuatu United (Vanuatu).
The format of the new competition is contrived: the Pro League will run from January to May with clubs playing at least 17 matches across five Pacific circuit rounds. The top four sides then enter the Leaders Playoff Group for three semi-final spots, while the Challengers winner meets the fourth-placed Leaders team for the last berth. Semi-finals and the final will be single-leg knockouts.
With assistance from FIFA, the OFC will invest $40 million in the competition over the next four years covering the participants expenses and providing prize money.
The league reportedly also enjoys Saudi backing. In October, Fiji Football Association president Rajesh Patel, a member of both the OFC Executive Committee and the FIFA Council, revealed that the Saudi Tourism Authority was set to invest $20 million in the Pro League over the course of its first four years. The OFC has however remained coy about Saudi backing for the competition.
On the eve of the tournament, the governing body announced a slate of new commercial deals. iAthletic and Umbro will serve as match partners. Fiji Airways as has been rolled out as the competition’s airline partner. Go Media was also added to the roster of sponsors. The terms of the deals were not disclosed.
TVNZ+ (New Zealand), TNTV (Tahiti), Fiji (FBC), Papua New Guinea (NBC) and Vanuatu (VBTC) will serve as broadcast partners. Global audiences can watch the tournament on FIFA+. The OFC has partnered with FIFA+ for all its competitions since 2023.
However, the long-term sustainability of the tournament remains in doubt with limited broadcast and commercial backing in the region.
The winner of the OFC Pro League will claim a ticket for Intercontinental Cup. With the exclusion of South Melbourne, the best-performing club over the next three seasons will represent OFC at the next Club World Cup in 2029.
Contact the writer of this story at moc.l1768573823labto1768573823ofdlr1768573823owedi1768573823sni@i1768573823tnuk.1768573823ardni1768573823mas1768573823
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