The winner advanced to the 2012 OFC Nations Cup, scheduled for the Solomon Islands from 1–12 June 2012, to join the other seven teams which received a bye into the second round. The Nations Cup served as the second round of qualifying for the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil.
The qualification event was to be the football competition at the 2011 Pacific Games in Nouméa, New Caledonia. However, in June 2011, the format was amended, and the Pacific Games are no longer be part of the qualification process.
Participating teams
The July 2011 FIFA World ranking, as well as other "sporting considerations", was used to determine the teams that participated in the first round.[2]