Port Moresby (The National) – HEKARI United and the Lae City Dwellers have been drawn in tough pools for this year’s Oceania Football Confederation Champions League.
According to the official draw for the new, expanded competition, Hekari is pooled in Group A with AS Magenta (New Caledonia), AS Central Sport (Tahiti) and qualifying stage runners-up, while Lae City are in Group C with defending champions Auckland City, along with Vanuatu and Solomon Islands sides.
New Caledonia champions AS Magenta made the semifinals of the last competition held at the QBE Stadium in Auckland, New Zealand.
Hekari are still the only club outside of New Zealand or Australia to win the regional title and appear at the Fifa Club World Cup.
The make-up of Group B include Team Wellington, Fiji’s champion, New Caledonia’s Hienghene Sport and the winner of the qualifying stage of the OFC Champions League.
Group C has seven-time champions Auckland City as well as the Vanuatu champions, Lae City Dwellers and the Solomon Islands runners-up.
Only one team in Group D has already been identified and that is 2011/12 OFC Champions League finalists and this year’s semifinalists AS Tefana of Tahiti.
They will be joined by the Solomon Islands champions and the runners-up from Fiji and Vanuatu.
Group A: AS Magenta (New Caledonia), Hekari United (PNG), AS Central Sport (Tahiti), qualifying stage runners-up; Group B: Team Wellington (New Zealand), Fiji winner, Hienghene Sport (New Caledonia), qualifying stage winner; Group C: Auckland City (New Zealand), Vanuatu winner, Lae City Dwellers, Solomon Islands runners-up; Group D: AS Tefana (Tahiti), Solomon Islands winner, Fiji runners-up, Vanuatu runners-up.
Teams competing in the qualifying stage for the OFC Champions League: Cook Islands winner, Utulei Youth (American Samoa), Lupe Ole Soaga (Samoa), Veitongo (Tonga).
