The Fiji Under-19 football team will begin their OFC U-19 Men’s Championship 2026 campaign against Vanuatu in Samoa today.
Coach Marika Rodu says he is thrilled with his side’s preparation and believes the squad has plenty of experience heading into the tournament.
The team completed a six-week training camp at the Fiji Football Academy in Ba and played training matches against OFC Men’s Champions League teams Lae City FC and AS Tiga Sport ahead of the tournament.
Rodu says seven players in the squad featured at the last FIFA U-17 World Cup, while two players are returning for their second U-19 competition.
He says four players have OFC Pro League experience with Bula FC, while nine players are based overseas.
The coach says their goal is to qualify for next year’s FIFA U-20 World Cup.
Fiji are in Group B alongside defending champions New Zealand, Tahiti and Vanuatu.
Fiji will face Vanuatu at 10am today before taking on New Zealand at 2pm on Saturday.
Their final pool match will be against Tahiti at 10am next Tuesday.
The winner and runner-up of the tournament will qualify for the FIFA U-20 World Cup 2027 in Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan.
Source: Oceania Football Confederation
