The inaugural pro league’s regular season wrapped up in Fiji last month with Auckland City at the top of the leaderboard.
Photo: OFC Pro League
Fiji’s Bula FC will meet New Zealand’s South Island United in Auckland on Wednesday to open the final round of the 2026 OFC Pro League.
The inaugural pro league’s regular season wrapped up in Fiji last month with Auckland City at the top of the leaderboard.
The eight teams now split into two with the top four in the Leaders Group and the bottom four teams in a Challengers group.
Within their two groups the teams play each other once – after which the top three teams in the Leaders group go through to the semifinals, while the bottom placed team has to play the top team from the Challengers group for the final knockout spot.
Leaders Group:
- Auckland FC
- South Melbourne FC
- Bula FC
- South Island United
Challengers Group:
- Solomon Kings FC
- Tahiti United
- Vanuatu United
- PNG Hekari FC
Stuart Larman, the head of OFC Pro League, said the inaugural season of the competition has been exciting.
“It’s been a fantastic season, and we’ve seen, in terms of the football and the pitch, the standard has increased throughout the five rounds we’ve seen so far,” he said.
“Obviously, with the fitness levels increasing, we saw much more competitive matches as the season went on. We’re looking now at the final round, which is going to be exceptionally competitive.”
He said the level of competition so far has proven there is growth in the quality of football across the Pacific.
“Anything could happen. We almost had two clubs from the islands playing in the Leaders group. I think that that shows how competitive the region is how quality players are coming through throughout the region.”
The four coaches of the Leaders group for the 2026 OFC Pro League at the press conference at FIFA Regional Development Office Auckland. 4 May 2026
Photo: Shane Wenzlick / Phototek.nz
The Leaders
Bula FC v South Island United
Kick-off: 3pm NZT Wednesday 6 May
Auckland FC and South Melbourne FC
Kick-off: 7pm NZT Wednesday 6 May
Go Media Stadium, Auckland
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The first match of round six is between South Island United and Bula FC.
South Island United head coach Rob Sherman said he is expecting a tough game and his team is ready to fight for that semifinal spot.
“Very tough challenge. So far, they’ve been very close games. It’ll be a tough, tough encounter,” he said.
“Fiji have proven that they are very good side. We’re just prepared to try and counter that and also execute our strength.”
The Fijians finished one point ahead of South Island United at the end of the regular season.
Bula FC’s head coach Stephane Auvray said they are determined to keep it that way.
“The two games we’ve played were very difficult. I believe for both teams, either we they had one half, we had the other half.
“We are even better prepared, obviously, so it’s going to be a tough one, but hopefully enjoyable for us, for the fans.”
As the only Pacific Island team to make it into the leaders group, Auvray said a strong finish would mean a lot.
“I think it’s the cherry on top of the cake. We know how much we’ve accomplished this season, and now it’s important that the players continue to grow and enjoy this.
“At some point you have to enjoy what you do and give emotions to the fans as well. So this will be the objective for us.”
Bula FC’s head coach Stephane Auvray
Photo: Nick Monro
Auckland FC have been dominating the competition, ending the round robin at the top of the table.
Head coach Luke Casserly said it has supported their players development.
“The opportunities that have been given to some young New Zealand players to be professional football footballers has been outstanding,” he said.
“We’ve had opportunities for players to progress from our team into the a league. So overall, it’s been the league has been fantastic, fantastic for our players.”
South Melbourne FC head coach Sinisa Cohadzic agreed, saying they value the opportunity to play at a professional level.
“But at the same time, the level of football that we experienced, especially now into the second half of the season, has been exceptional.
“Obviously, on the beginning, the teams were new and obviously getting to know each other, but now in the second part of the season has become very, very high quality level of football. We’re looking forward now to playing in the in the final, final series.”
South Melbourne FC head coach Sinisa Cohadzic
Photo: Nick Monro
The Challengers
Solomon Kings FC v Tahiti United
Kick-off: 3pm NZT, Thursday 7 May
Vanuatu United FC v PNG Hekari FC
Kick-off: 7pm NZT Thursday 7 May
Eden Park, Auckland
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The Challengers first games are scheduled for Thursday, with Solomon Kings FC and Tahiti United first at Eden Park.
While disappointed to not make it into the Leaders group, Solomon Kings head coach Ben Cahn said it has “been a really good experience”.
He said they will fight for the challengers top spot.
“We look back and we reflect. We’ve done some good things, we’ve played some really good football. We feel the players have developed a lot,” he said.
“We’re short in a couple of areas and luckily, the format of the competition allows us to come here and have a proper crack and see if we can make a nudge into their semifinals.”
Solomon Kings FC training in Auckland ahead of the 2026 OFC Pro League final round. 4 May 2026
Photo: OFC Pro League
Tahiti United head coach Samuel Garcia said the season has been challenging, but well worth their time.
Garcia said the development opportunities can only increase with future editions of the Pro League.
“We were promised a revolution in Oceanian football, and we have seen that revolution. We will finish this first season with great matches and great memories.”
Following the Solomon Kings FC and Tahiti United clash, Vanuatu United FC will take on PNG Hekari FC.
Vanuatu’s OFC Pro League debut was met with drama as head coach Lars Hopp and general manager Christian Happel announced their resignation just days out from the opening round.
Hopp later revoked his resignation and remained head coach.
He told media he was glad to have stuck around.
“The journey has been really it’s been so rich of experiences,” he said.
“But what this league has really done is deliver football experience for for all of Oceania, and we feel it when we’re at home in Vanuatu, and we feel it when we travel. There’s always this heartfelt support and the flags in the stadiums.”
PNG Hekari FC had a shock resignation of their own, with head coach Marcos Gusmao stepped down from his role due to “personal reasons” just three matches into the club’s OFC Pro League debut.
Assistant coach Jerry Allen said the team remained dedicated to upskilling their players and gaining experience in professional football.
“It’s a very, very good tournament for us especially Island players,” he said.
“We never experienced this professional environment before in the islands, and having these coming in on board is really help us to look in a long term in terms of the players coming through, playing with some foreign players, playing for other countries.”
The Leaders and Challengers games run over the next two weeks, with the semifinals scheduled for 20 May.
The finals are set to take place on Sunday 24 May at Auckland’s Eden Park.
