Gothia Cup closes registration – record-high number of foreign teams

Just like last year, the interest in Gothia Cup is at a record high.

Registration for this year’s summer tournament is now closed, with more foreign teams registered than ever before.
– We love football, and Gothia Cup is a football party, says Sylvia Villa-Echeve from the British team Hillyfilders. 

This year, for the first time ever, England will have the most registered teams – aside from the host nation Sweden. One of these teams is Hillyfilders, from southeast London, making their Gothia Cup debut by sending a team in the G14 class.
– The club recently started a girls' team, and sending a girls' team in the G14 class is big and important, says team leader Sylvia Villa-Echeve. We have a goal now, and the girls are working hard to have a great tournament this summer.

Last year, 128 English teams registered for Gothia Cup, and this year, that number has risen to 156 – an impressive increase of 22 percent. Sylvia Villa-Echeve’s son participated a couple of years ago, and his positive experience is something she wants to offer to the team she is now coaching. The good reputation is a big reason why the interest in Gothia Cup is so high in England, she says. 
– We love football, and Gothia Cup is a football party. It’s the largest youth tournament in the world, and we think it will be incredibly exciting to participate and meet other players and coaches from all over the world, says Sylvia Villa-Echeve.

 The high demand for participation in the tournament means that Gothia Cup has to close registration for this summer’s tournament ahead of the scheduled date.
– This is another milestone for us as we reach new record levels, both in the number of teams and the proportion of foreign teams. But, of course, our work for this summer’s edition doesn’t end when we close registration. We will continue working to make the experience as positive as possible for all our participants, says Gothia Cup’s tournament manager, Niclas Freiholtz.

2025 will not only be the year with the highest proportion of foreign teams ever, but it will also be the first year when the number of foreign teams exceeds the number of Swedish teams.
– This milestone shows just how international the tournament has become. It’s something that enhances the experience and really gets back to the reason why so many teams register for the tournament. It’s about new experiences, cultural exchanges, and, from a sports perspective, facing teams you otherwise would never have had the chance to play against, says Niclas Freiholtz.