By Bill Roumeliotis
The Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) has received 24 expressions of interest for the highly anticipated OFC Professional League, which is set to begin in January 2026.
With the submission deadline closing on Friday, February 28, clubs from across the Pacific have expressed their intention to participate in the game-changing competition.
The 24 expressions of interest include:
- 4 from Australia
- 6 from New Zealand
- 4 from Fiji
- 4 from Papua New Guinea
- 2 from New Caledonia
- 1 each from Samoa, the Solomon Islands, Tahiti, and Vanuatu.
Among the four applications from Australia is South Melbourne FC.
“Yes, we have submitted our application and I am optimistic that we will be part of this new competition,” President of South Melbourne Nick Maikousis told The Greek Herald.
“Everything has been done legally. Before submitting the application, we communicated with Football Australia and Football Victoria and received their approval. Our club will continue to compete in the National Premier League and the Championship.”
Maikousis added, “We are a historic football club striving to compete in the top football championship, but we are constantly facing obstacles and are not allowed to participate, even though we meet all the requirements to compete. I believe that with our participation in the Oceania championship, South Melbourne will return to the top competitions where we belong.”
The process is now underway for clubs to secure a spot in the elite eight-team competition, which will run from early January to May 2026, with the application process continuing until the end of June.
OFC Professional League Director Stuart Larman welcomed the strong response as a significant milestone.
“In recent years, a lot of work has gone into building a professional league that will accelerate the development of football across the region, including the detailed preparation of the Club Application Process. It’s very exciting for all involved that the response shows so many clubs share our vision and passion for the growth of professional football across Oceania,” Larman said.
Timeline:
- End of June 2025: Completion of club application submission process.
- August 2025: Recommendations from the OFC Licensing Group Committee to the OFC Executive Committee.
- September 2025: Final approval and issuance of licenses to the eight selected clubs.
- January 2026: Launch of the OFC Professional League.
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