© EuroFootball.com
After Australia joined the Asian Football Confederation in 2006, the entire Oceania region is changing the format of the World Cup qualifiers.
Previously, the two group winners from this zone had to face each other in playoff matches, and the winner then had to compete against a South American or Asian team in intercontinental matches.
However, in the future Oceania will change this format to a much more traditional home and away format.
The strongest national teams - New Zealand, Fiji, Tahiti, Vanuatu and the Solomon Islands - will play in a group, to which the winner of a playoff group will be added - either American Samoa, Cook Islands, New Caledonia, Papua New Guinea, Samoa or Tonga.
The six teams will compete in the group playing each team at home and away, and the winner will have to play in international playoff matches for qualification to the World Cup.
