New Delhi, Jan. 16 -- A new era in international soccer begins Sunday when Vanuatu United meets Bula FC of Fiji in Auckland, New Zealand, in the first game of the Oceania Football Confederation Pro League.

Eight teams from seven countries in the region - the others are New Zealand, Tahiti, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, and Australia - will play at least 17 games over the next three months.

Organizers say the new league is a much-needed step for the region, where individual countries are too small to support top-level domestic competitions.

"The OFC was the only confederation to not have a professional league in any of its member associations, something of a restriction in player advancement opportunities," Stuart Larman, the l...