The 2011 OFC Beach Soccer Championship took place from 23 February to 26 February 2011, in Papeete, Tahiti, It acted as a qualifier for the 2011 FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup. This was the third time the island had hosted the competition, following the 2006 and 2009 tournaments in Moorea. Only the winners of the tournament, Tahiti, qualified to play in the 2011 FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup. The Solomon Islands were the favorites, having won the last 3 other qualifying championships in 2006, 2007 and 2009, but surprisingly lost in the final to Tahiti, despite beating them in the group stage. This means for the first time since 2005, the Solomon Islands will not be representing Oceania at the world cup.

All matches were held at the new Jardin de Paofai complex in Papeete, which was opened on 15 February 2011.

Participating teams Four teams decided to enter into the tournament to compete for the one spot in the 2011 FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup. These were the same nations who competed in the 2009 OFC Beach Soccer Championship.

Unfortunately, due to a cyclone recently passing through the region, the Vanuatu national team was stranded at their airport as they were about to leave for Tahiti to attend the tournament. As a result, they were forced to withdraw from the tournament.

Participating:

Withdrawing:

Group stage The group stage was going to begin on 22 February but due to the cyclone which forced Vanuatu to withdraw, it commenced on 23 February with no rest day and consisted of each nation playing each other once in a single round-robin format.

All kickoff times are listed as Tahitian local time, (UTC-10). TeamPldWW+LGFGAGDPts2200135+86210179−232002915−60

Tournament final

Winners

Awards Best Player (MVP) James Naka Top Scorer(s) James Naka Robert Laua Jo Dugucagi4 goals Best Goalkeeper Jonathan Torohia FIFA Fair Play Award

Team qualifying Team 1st Place

Top scorers

4 goals James Naka Jo Dugucagi Robert Laua 3 goals Franco Ne'e Teiva Izal Nicholas Muri 2 goals McPhillip Aisa Naea Bennett Patrick Tepa

2 goals (cont.) Rajnesh Ratu (Ratan) 1 goal Teva Zaveroni Archie Watkins Tainui Lehartel Maciu Dunadamu Sandeep Nair Marama Amau Own Goal Maciu Dunadamu (for Tahiti)

Final standings RankTeam 1 2 3

References

External links 2011 OFC Beach Soccer Championship