OFC Professional League Draws Strong Interest from 24 Clubs

Twenty-four teams have shown interest in competing in the OFC Professional League, the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) has revealed.

The cutoff was February 28 and six teams from New Zealand, four from Fiji, four from Papua New Guinea, four from Australia, two from New Caledonia and one each from Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tahiti and Vanuatu submitted applications for the first season of the competition, which is set to begin in January 2026 with eight sides.

“Over recent years a great deal of effort has gone into shaping a professional league that will boost the development of football throughout the region, including thorough planning of the club selection process,” said OFC Professional League manager Stuart Larman in a release. “It is very encouraging for everyone involved that the response proves so many teams share our ambition and commitment to advancing professional football in Oceania.”

Through the Professional League the OFC aims to elevate football across the Pacific. It was designed to be linked to a worldwide network of elite leagues similar to the super league in Africa, which was later reduced to the African Football League. It’s believed that FIFA will contribute $10 million to the tournament, but that may not be sufficient to uphold the professional league in the long run.

In September the OFC will grant licences to the eight chosen teams. The structure will have the participants play in five grouped series rounds in a dual round-robin format. Each team will be assured a minimum of 17 fixtures. The event will then transition into two knockout stages before a semi-final phase and the decider. The league will act as a route to the 2029 Club World Cup.