New Zealand has retained their two teams in the new-look OFC Champions League with Auckland City and Waitakere United again playing in the same group. But, in a major change from last season, the top two teams in each group will now qualify for the semifinals which could allow City and United to win through to the final.
The semifinals will be played home and away but the final will be a one-off match at a yet-to-be-decided venue in Auckland. The winner will again qualify as the Oceania Football Confederation's representative at the Fifa Club World Cup which will next year be played in Morocco.
In the past, the OFC final has been played over two legs - home and away.
In another change, the competition, with a new logo and trophy, will be known as the OFC Champions League rather than the O-League.
The three teams to have played at recent Club World Cups, Auckland City, Waitakere United and Hekari United, have all won through again. They have been joined by other recent island qualifiers Ba (Fiji), Mont Dore (New Caledonia), and Amicale (Vanuatu). They are joined by competition newcomers Dragon (Tahiti) and Solomon Warriors (Solomon Islands).
