Gothia Cup’s Dennis Andersson receives Fotbollskanalen’s Honorary Award

Dennis Andersson from Gothia Cup has received Fotbollskanalen’s Honorary Award 2025. He is awarded for “an outstanding contribution to Swedish football from a global perspective”. – I feel very honoured, says the award winner.

Fotbollskanalen’s Honorary Award has been presented since 2007 by the Swedish Football Association together with TV4. It is given to a person who has made a major contribution to Swedish football. Dennis Andersson was the General Secretary of the Gothia Cup for more than four decades and played a key role in making the tournament the world’s largest youth football tournament. The award came as a surprise to him.
– This is an award that has previously gone to very prominent people, both leaders and players. To be included among those names is very special, so I feel both surprised and honoured, he says.

A global event

Dennis Andersson led the Gothia Cup from 1981 to 2022. During many of those years, he was also the club director of BK Häcken, the organising club. As the tournament grew and became more successful, Gothenburg gained international attention – and the Gothia Cup became a global event.
– The award is probably largely about what the Gothia Cup has meant for 1.3 million young people, says Dennis Andersson and continues:
– and also about the global reach of the tournament. If you talk about the global football map, Gothia Cup is what people mainly associate with Sweden – and Zlatan, of course, he says with a laugh.

Bringing together young people from different countries, living conditions and cultures through football has always been at the heart of the Gothia Cup’s mission. Dennis Andersson also wants to highlight the thousands of people who have helped make the tournament a success.
– We work incredibly hard within the organisation, but we must not forget all the efforts made around the world to be able to come here. So many people are working towards the same goal, the same dream – and that is what makes everything possible.

Continued commitment

The award has been presented since 2008, and Dennis Andersson now joins an exclusive group of recipients. Previous winners include Lotta Schelin, Zlatan Ibrahimović, Sven-Göran Eriksson and Kurre Hamrin. And for Dennis Andersson, who is now a senior advisor to the tournament, his commitment remains as strong as ever.
– Fotbollskanalen’s Honorary Award is recognition of everything that has been achieved so far, but Gothia Cup is – and will always be – a part of my life.

Citation (jury statement)

“The image of Swedish football abroad often includes championship medals, yellow-clad supporters and stars such as Nordahl, Schelin and Zlatan. But it is easy to forget the impact of the Gothia Cup. For 50 years, young people from all over the world have been brought together. Even though stars like Shearer, Pirlo and Xabi Alonso have taken part, the tournament has created memories for more than 1.3 million players since it began. Without Dennis Andersson’s work for the Gothia Cup, the tournament would not have become the institution it is today – for Heden, Gothenburg, Sweden and football as a whole. He took over as General Secretary in 1981 with the aim of uniting people from around the world. He succeeded, together with the Gothia Cup, and this represents a major contribution to Swedish football from a global perspective. Fotbollskanalen’s Honorary Award 2025 is awarded to Dennis Andersson.”