2026 OFC U-16 Men's Championship
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Host country | Papua New Guinea |
| City | Port Moresby |
| Dates | 12–25 July |
| Teams | TBD (from 1 confederation) |
← 2025 TBD → | |
The 2026 OFC U-16 Men's Championship will be the 23rd edition of the OFC U-16 Men's Championship, the international youth football championship organized by the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) for the men's under-16 national teams of Oceania. The final tournament will be played in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, from 12 to 25 July 2026.[1]
Background
Papua New Guinea was selected as the host nation in May 2025.[2] It will be one of fifteen international tournaments hosted by OFC in 2026.[3] The draw for the group stage was held on 18 February 2026.[4]
Teams
All 11 FIFA-affiliated national teams from the OFC entered the tournament, but only 8 played in the final tournament
Note: All appearance statistics include those in the qualifying stage (2016 and 2018).
| Team | Appearance | Previous best performance |
|---|---|---|
 American Samoa |
12th | Group stage (1999, 2001, 2003, 2011, 2015, 2023) |
 Cook Islands |
13th | Eighth place (2025) |
 Fiji |
21th | Runners-up (1999, 2024) |
.svg.png){kind=small} New Caledonia |
15th | Runners-up (2003, 2013, 2017, 2023, 2025) |
 New Zealand |
20th | Champions (1997, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2023, 2024, 2025) |
 Papua New Guinea (hosts) |
12th | Semi-finals (2017), Fourth place (1986) |
 Samoa |
12th | Quarter-finals (2023) |
 Solomon Islands |
12th | Runners-up (1993, 2018) |
 Tahiti |
16th | Runners-up (2007, 2009, 2011, 2015) |
 Tonga |
13th | Quarter-finals (2023) |
 Vanuatu |
18th | Runners-up (2005) |
Qualifying stage
A qualification round will be held from 25 to 31 March 2026 in Nukuʻalofa, Tonga.[5]
References
- ^ "OFC U-16 Men's Championship". Oceania Football Confederation. Retrieved 18 January 2026.
- ^ "OFC Executive Committee approves hosts for 2026 competitions". Oceania Football Confederation. 8 May 2025. Retrieved 16 January 2026.
- ^ "Busy year ahead for international tournaments in Oceana". Friends of Football. 3 January 2026. Retrieved 16 January 2026.
- ^ "Draws announced for OFC U-16 Men's Championship 2026". Oceania Football Confederation. 18 February 2026. Retrieved 21 February 2026.
- ^ "OFC U-16 Men's Championship – Qualifying". Oceania Football Confederation. Retrieved 18 January 2026.