Similar to the 2007 edition, the 2011 South Pacific Games in Nouméa, New Caledonia will double as the first round of OFC qualifying for the 2014 FIFA World Cup and the 2012 OFC Nations Cup. New Zealand has been given a bye into the second and final round of OFC qualifying, but twelve other teams will be participating at the South Pacific Games. The OFC has been allotted .5 places at the 2014 FIFA World Cup finals in Brasil. All eleven OFC members have entered the tournament. The format was announced on 21 March 2011.
The football tournament at the 2011 South Pacific Games will take place between 27 August 2011 and 9 September 2011.
The following twelve teams will be drawn into three groups of four with each team playing all the others teams in its group once at the Stade Numa-Daly. No details have been given concerning the division of these teams into pots.
American Samoa
Cook Islands
Fiji
New Caledonia
Papua New Guinea
Samoa
Solomon Islands
Tahiti
Tonga
Vanuatu
Kiribati - not eligible for FIFA World Cup
Tuvalu - not eligible for FIFA World Cup
The top two teams from each group plus the best two third-place teams will advance to the eight-team knockout stage. The two finalists and the winner of the third-place match advance to the second round of OFC qualifying alongside New Zealand. There has been no explanation of what would happen should either Kiribati or Tuvalu advance this far.
The second round of OFC qualifying will involve one four-team group. The four teams will play the other three teams both home and away. The group winner advances to an inter-confederation home-and-away playoff series against a team from a yet-to-be-determined confederation, with the winner of the inter-confederation playoff advancing to the 2014 FIFA World Cup finals in Brasil. In addition, the OFC group winner will be crowned 2012 OFC Nations Cup champion and will earn a berth to the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup in Brasil.
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