Historic opening ceremony as Gothia Cup celebrates 50 years

With a packed Ullevi Stadium and participants from 74 countries, Gothia Cup 2025 began with a grand opening ceremony. This year, the event held special significance – the tournament is celebrating 50 years as a meeting place for young people from around the world.

Gothia Cup kicked off with a spectacular opening ceremony at Ullevi – a cherished tradition that took on extra meaning this year as the tournament marks its 50th anniversary. On Monday evening, 43 850 participants, leaders, families, and spectators filled Sweden’s largest stadium to celebrate the start of the jubilee week together.

For one hour, the audience enjoyed a vibrant show featuring music, dance, tribute speeches, and an impressive flag parade with 151 flags representing every nation that has taken part over the years – before the evening concluded with a dazzling fireworks display.

With that, Gothia Cup 2025 was officially declared open, and the tournament’s Event Director Anders Albertsson expressed his satisfaction with this year’s ceremony.
– It’s hard to describe the feeling when more than 40 000 people share the same joy. This year’s opening was a worthy start to a historic anniversary. The enthusiasm from both participants and the audience tonight shows why Gothia Cup is so much more than just a football tournament, he said.

The opening ceremony is one of the tournament’s most anticipated moments and serves as a symbolic launch for a week filled with international encounters, camaraderie, and the joy of football. As Gothia Cup celebrate its fiftieth year, the ceremony becomes both a tribute to the past and a shared vision for the future.
– It was a moment to honor the past and reflect on all the work and dedication that came before us, said Tournament Director Lena Rönnefors, who oversaw the opening ceremony. But above all, we came together around the most important goal – to be a meeting place for young people from all over the world.