2023 OFC Beach Soccer Nations Cup
The 2023 OFC Beach Soccer Nations Cup was the seventh edition of the OFC Beach Soccer Nations Cup, the top beach soccer competition contested by Oceanian men's national beach soccer teams. The tournament was organized by the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC).
| 2023 FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup OFC qualifier | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Tournament details | |
| Host country | Tahiti |
| City | Papeete |
| Dates | 22–26 August |
| Teams | 4 (from 1 confederation) |
| Venue(s) | 1 (in 1 host city) |
| Final positions | |
| Champions |  Tahiti |
| Runners-up |  Solomon Islands |
| Third place |  Fiji |
| Fourth place |  Tonga |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 8 |
| Goals scored | 120 (15 per match) |
| Attendance | 4,500 (563 per match) |
| Top scorer(s) | Gabiriele Matanisiga (12 goals) |
| Best goalkeeper | Johnathan Torohia |
| Fair play award | Fiji Tahiti |
The tournament was originally scheduled to take place in June, but was subsequently pushed back to take place from 22 to 26 August 2023[1] in Tahiti.[2][3]
The tournament doubled as qualifiers for the 2023 FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup in the United Arab Emirates; the champions qualified.[4]
Teams
Four of the eleven OFC-affiliated members entered the tournament.
| Team | Appearance | Previous best performance |
|---|---|---|
| Fiji[5] | 3rd | Third place (2011) |
| Solomon Islands[6] | 7th | Champions (2006, 2007, 2009, 2013) |
| Tahiti (hosts; title-holders) | 6th | Champions (2011, 2019) |
| Tonga[2] | 2nd | 5th place (2019) |
Venue
The tournament was held in Papeete at Aorai Tini Hau stadium, with an approximate capacity of 1,080.[4]
Group stage
All times are local, TAHT (GMT−10).
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | W+ | WP | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tahiti (H) |
3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 41 | 9 | +32 | 9 | Final |
| 2 | Solomon Islands |
3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 24 | 16 | +8 | 6 | |
| 3 | Fiji |
3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 27 | 14 | +13 | 3 | Third Place Match |
| 4 | Tonga |
3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 9 | 62 | −53 | 0 |
| Fiji | 3–6 | Solomon Islands |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
Man of the match: Thomas Amasia (Solomon Islands)[7]
| Tahiti | 26–3 | Tonga |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
|
Man of the match: Heirauarii Salem (Tahiti)[7]
| Tonga | 3–21 | Fiji |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
|
Man of the match: Gabiriele Matanisiga (Fiji)[8]
| Solomon Islands | 3–10 | Tahiti |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
|
Man of the match: Jonathan Torohia (Tahiti)[8]
| Solomon Islands | 15–3 | Tonga |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
|
Man of the match: Thompson Peter (Solomon Islands)[9]
| Tahiti | 5–3 | Fiji |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
|
Man of the match: Heimanu Taiarui (Tahiti)[9]
Play-offs
Third place match
| Fiji | 12–0 | Tonga |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
Man of the match: Gabiriele Matanisiga (Fiji)[10]
Qualified teams for FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup
The champion of the 2023 OFC Beach Soccer Nations Cup qualified for the 2023 FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup.
| Team | Qualified on | Previous appearances in FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup1 only FIFA era (since 2005) |
|---|---|---|
| Tahiti | 26 August 2023 | 6 (2011, 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019, 2021) |
- 1 Bold indicates champions for that year. Italic indicates hosts for that year.
Goalscorers
There have been 120 goals scored in 8 matches, for an average of 15 goals per match (as of 25 August 2023).
8 goals
- Max Fa'ari
7 goals
- Heirauarii Salem
- Patrick Tepa
- Rainui Tze-Yu
6 goals
- Gabiriele Matanisiga
- Rusiate Matarerega
5 goals
4 goals
- James Naka
- Thomas Amasia
3 goals
- Ravneel Pal
- Albert Bobby
- Thompson Peter
- Roonui Tinirauarii
- Teaonui Tehau
- Justin Toetu'u
- Sione Tutone
2 goals
- Bruce Hughes
- Merrill Nand
- Rajneel Singh
- Heiarii Tavanae
- Heimanu Taiarui
- Johnathan Torohia
- Raimana Li Fung Kuee
1 goal
- Madhwan Gounder
- Benbasi Suekai
- Tearii Labaste
- Harlen Ulavalu
- Mosese Ulavalu
Broadcasting
All matches were broadcast live on the OFC and TNTV official Facebook channels.[11]
References
- "NEW DATES CONFIRMED FOR OFC BEACH SOCCER NATIONS CUP IN TAHITI". Retrieved 17 April 2023.
- "Beach Soccer expert's visit a boost for Tautahi as they prepare for OFC Beach Soccer Nations Cup 2023". Tonga Football. Retrieved 31 March 2023.
- "OFC Competitions 2023 Calendar confirmed 1/01/2023" (PDF). Oceania Football Confederation. Retrieved 25 February 2023.
- "Tahiti crowned the kings of Oceania Beach Soccer once again". Oceania Football Confederation. 27 August 2023. Retrieved 27 August 2023.
In front of a capacity crowd
- Romena, Romenka (11 February 2023). "Fiji to participate in OFC beach comp". FijiLive. Retrieved 5 July 2023.
- Abana, Simon (4 July 2023). "Honiara Titans claim SIFF Invitational Beach Soccer Championship title". Solomon Islands Football Federation. Retrieved 5 July 2023.
The Championship also served to select a national beach soccer team known commonly as the Biliki ahead of the OFC Beach Soccer Nations Cup
- "Congratulations to Solomon Islands' Thomas Amasia and Tahiti's Heirauarii Salem..." Oceania Football Confederation via Twitter. 23 August 2023. Retrieved 25 August 2023.
- "Congratulations to our players of the match on day two of the OFC Beach Soccer Nations Cup in Tahiti". Oceania Football Confederation via Twitter. 24 August 2023. Retrieved 25 August 2023.
- "Congratulations to Thompson Peter of the Solomon Islands and Tahiti's Heimanu Taiarui..." Oceania Football Confederation via Twitter. 25 August 2023. Retrieved 25 August 2023.
- "Well done to Fiji's Gabiriele Matanisiga and Tahiti's Jonathan Torohia". Oceania Football Confederation via Twitter. 27 August 2023. Retrieved 27 August 2023.
- "HOW TO WATCH | OFC BEACH SOCCER NATIONS CUP 2023". Oceania Football. Retrieved 17 August 2023.