17 Nov 2015

Sport: Old rivalries to be renewed in Oceania Champions League

1:28 pm on 17 November 2015

Defending champions Auckland City will resume their rivalry with Vanuatu's Amicale FC for the third straight year after being drawn in the same pool for next year's Oceania Champions League.

The teams contested the 2011 and 2014 O-League finals, and it was Auckland who again had the edge during the group stage in Fiji earlier this year, winning 3-0.

Sanni Issa playing for Amicale FC against Auckland City during the 2014 Oceania Champions League final. Issa joined Auckland in the off-season.

Auckland City and Amicale FC during the 2014 O-League final. Photo: PHOTOSPORT

Joining them in Group A will be newcomers Lae City Dwellers from Papua New Guinea and the winners of the Solomon Islands S-League, likely to again be Solomon Warriors.

2015 runners up Team Wellington have been drawn alongside 2010 champions Hekari United from PNG for the second year running, with Fiji's Suva FC and AS Lossi from New Caledonia completing Group B.

Fijian champions Nadi FC and AS Magenta of New Caledonia return in Group C after missing this year's competition, and have been drawn alongside Tahiti's AS Tefana and the winner of the OFC Preliminary tournament, which features the club champions from Cook Islands, Tonga, American Samoa and Samoa.

The 2016 Oceania Champions League is being held in New Zealand for the first time under its current format, with the preliminary stage in the Cook Islands.