New Zealand v Solomon Islands – Oceania Qualifiers final
Wednesday 30 March, 8:00pm (Local) | Thursday 31 March, 6:00am (NZ)
Grand Hamad Stadium, Doha, Qatar

Two undefeated teams will come face to face in the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Oceania Qualifiers final in a few hours’ time but only one can progress to the Intercontinental Play-Off for a chance to return to Qatar in November. 

Solomon Islands have been by far the strongest team in Group A and present a real challenge. With a fully Solomon Islands based squad, the team have had plenty of opportunities to gel together over the last two years which is evident on the pitch. 

They are a rapid side with a significant number of goals at the tournament coming on the break, something Danny Hay’s side will have to be mindful of. 

There is also a strong futsal influence on the Bonitos with the team comfortable to play a fast passing game. 


What Danny Hay said:

“We know the Solomons are going to be a very tough prospect. We’ve obviously watched the footage of them and analysed them at length. Technically a very good side, you can tell they have obviously spent a long time together in the Solomons preparing for this. 

The connections between them are very good, well coached. So it is going to be a tough challenge, and very different challenge I would suspect from what we faced against Tahiti.”


Likely All Whites Team:

The All Whites come into the final with no injury concerns following the return of Marko Stamenic after missing the game against Tahiti. 


Key Player To Watch: Raphael Lea'i

18-year-old Raphael Lea'i has been one of the stand-out stars at the tournament. The former Wellington Phoenix youth player is tied with Chris Wood at the top of the goalscoring chart with 4 goals across the two games Solomon Islands have played. 

Capable of playing on the wing or up front, Lea’i is prolific for club Henderson Eels, including getting 2 goals and 2 assists in three games in the OFC Champions League. 


How To Watch:

In Aotearoa New Zealand you can watch the game live on Sky Sport NZ and also for free on Prime. 

For the rest of the world visit OFC’s website for broadcaster details. 

Article added: Wednesday 30 March 2022