OFC Champions League draw unveiled in Auckland

THE 2018 Oceania Football Confederation’s Champions League draw was confirmed on Friday at the OFC headquarters in Auckland, New Zealand.
The 2017 National Soccer League minor premiers Lae City Dwellers —  making their third consecutive appearance — are in pool A along with debutants Nalkutan FC who claimed Vanuatu’s top berth after winning the VFF National Super League then defeating Port Vila Football League champions Erakor Golden Star in their play-off.
Other teams in pool A include Fiji Vodafone Premier League runners-up Ba FC and the winner from the qualifying stage of the OFC Champions League were also drawn in Group A.
Group B includes the winner of Solomon Islands’ Telekom S-League, Tahiti Ligue 1 VINI winners AS Dragon, New Caledonia Super League runner-up AS Lossi and Erakor Golden Star FC.
In Group C the defending and eight-time champions Auckland City have been drawn with Fiji Vodafone Premier League winners Lautoka FC, Papua New Guinea runners-up Madang FC and AS Venus from Tahiti.
Drawn first for Group D, New Zealand premiership winner and three-time OFC Champions League runners-up Team Wellington will meet their 2016 and 2017 OFC Champions League semifinal opponent AS Magenta in the group stage after the New Caledonian champions were drawn in second position.
The runner-up from the     qualifying stage and the second-placed team from Solomon Islands have also been drawn in Group D.
The draw for the qualifying stage of the OFC Champions League 2018 also took place in Auckland, positioning American Samoa champions and qualifying stage hosts Pago Youth FC in the top position, followed by the national league winners from Cook Islands, Samoa, and Tonga.
The 2018 edition will introduce a quarter-final stage, expanding the competition to five stages which will be played at different venues across Oceania and see 18 teams battle for qualification to the FIFA Club World Cup.
The champions of American Samoa, Cook Islands, Samoa and Tonga will open the competition calendar in 2018 when they meet for the qualifying stage in American Samoa from Jan 20-26.
Each group in the OFC Champions League will meet at their hosts’ venue to play each other once over three match days with two rest days between games.
The three match days for Group A and Group B will be played between Feb 10 and 18 while Groups C and D encounters will follow from Feb 24 to 4 March.
The draws for the quarter-final and semifinal will be held after the completion of the group stage.