2012 OFC Nations Cup
The 2012 OFC Nations Cup was the ninth edition of the OFC Nations Cup organised by the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC). The group stage of the tournament also doubled as the second round of the OFC qualification tournament for the 2014 FIFA World Cup. The four semi-finalists advanced to the final round of OFC qualifying, where they would compete for the OFC spot in the inter-confederation play-offs. The qualifying tournament was to be the football competition at the 2011 Pacific Games in Nouméa, New Caledonia. However, in June 2011 the format was amended, and the Pacific Games were no longer part of the qualification process. The new structure saw four of the lowest ranked entrants play a single round-robin tournament from 22 to 26 November 2011 in Samoa. The winner of this qualifying stage joined the other seven teams that received a bye to the Nations Cup proper.
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Host country | Solomon Islands |
| City | Honiara |
| Dates | 1–10 June |
| Teams | 8 (from 1 confederation) |
| Venue(s) | 1 (in 1 host city) |
| Final positions | |
| Champions | Tahiti (1st title) |
| Runners-up | New Caledonia |
| Third place | New Zealand |
| Fourth place | Solomon Islands |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 16 |
| Goals scored | 64 (4 per match) |
| Attendance | 133,700 (8,356 per match) |
| Top scorer(s) | Jacques Haeko (6 goals) |
| Best player(s) | Nicolas Vallar |
| Best goalkeeper | Rocky Nyikeine |
| Fair play award | Solomon Islands |
The main tournament was originally scheduled for Fiji from 3–12 June 2012, but in March 2012, Fiji was stripped of the hosting rights as a result of a legal dispute involving OFC general secretary Tai Nicholas and Fijian authorities. The tournament was then awarded to the Solomon Islands.
Tahiti defeated New Caledonia in the final 1–0, winning their first title, and also became the first team other than Australia (no longer part of OFC) and New Zealand to be crowned Oceania champions.