Thethird round ofOFC matches for2018 FIFA World Cup qualification began on 7 November 2016 and ended on 5 September 2017.[1]
A total of six teams which had advanced from theOFC Nations Cup (second round) were drawn into two groups of three teams to play home-and-awayround-robin matches. The winners of each group advanced to the OFC Final, played home-and-away overtwo legs, and the winners of the final advanced to theinter-confederation play-offs.
| Group (Nations Cup) | Winners | Runners-up | Third-placed teams |
|---|---|---|---|
| A |  Papua New Guinea |  New Caledonia |  Tahiti |
| B |  New Zealand |  Solomon Islands |  Fiji |
The draw for the third round was held on 8 July 2016, 11:00NZST (UTC+12), at the OFC headquarters inAuckland,New Zealand.[2]
The seeding was based on the results of the2016 OFC Nations Cup (second round):
Each group contained a seeded team, a team from Pot 1, and a team from Pot 2. The same group compositions as the OFC Nations Cup were not allowed by the draw (i.e., Papua New Guinea, New Caledonia and Tahiti in one group, New Zealand, Solomon Islands and Fiji in the other group). The fixtures of each group were confirmed by the OFC after the draw, taking into account the need for New Zealand to have a bye in June 2017 for playing in the2017 FIFA Confederations Cup, and Papua New Guinea to have a bye in November 2016 for hosting the2016 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup.[2]
Note:Bolded teams qualified for theinter-confederation play-offs.Italicised teams qualified for theOFC final but lost.
| Seeded teams | Pot 1 | Pot 2 |
|---|---|---|
|
| 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification tiebreakers |
|---|
In league format, the ranking of teams in each group was based on the following criteria (regulations Articles 20.6 and 20.7):[3]
|
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | | | | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New Zealand | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 0 | +6 | 10 | Advance toOFC Final | — | 2–0 | 2–0 | |
| 2 | New Caledonia | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 5 | −1 | 5 | 0–0 | — | 2–1 | ||
| 3 | Fiji | 4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 8 | −5 | 1 | 0–2 | 2–2 | — |
| New Zealand | 2–0 | Fiji |
|---|---|---|
| Report (FIFA) Report (OFC) |
| Fiji | 2–2 | New Caledonia |
|---|---|---|
| Report (FIFA) Report (OFC) |
|
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | | | | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Solomon Islands | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 9 | Advance toOFC Final | — | 1–0 | 3–2 | |
| 2 | Tahiti | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 4 | +3 | 6 | 3–0[a] | — | 1–2 | ||
| 3 | Papua New Guinea | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 6 | 9 | −3 | 3 | 1–2 | 1–3 | — |
| Tahiti | 3–0 Awarded[note 1] | Solomon Islands |
|---|---|---|
| Report (FIFA) Report (OFC) |
The draw for the final (which decided the order of legs) was held on 15 June 2017, 16:00NZST (UTC+12), at the OFC headquarters inAuckland,New Zealand.[5]
The winners of the final advanced tointer-confederation play-offs. Dates were set for the two-legged final as being on 1 and 5 September 2017.
| Team 1 | Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Zealand | 8–3 | Solomon Islands | 6–1 | 2–2 |
| New Zealand | 6–1 | Solomon Islands |
|---|---|---|
| Report (FIFA) Report (OFC) |
New Zealand won 8–3 on aggregate and advanced to the inter-confederation play-offs.
There were 41 goals scored in 14 matches, for an average of 2.93 goals per match.
4 goals
3 goals
2 goals
1 goal
1 own goal
Hadisi Aengari (against New Zealand)