Madagascar will be represented in Gothia Cup for the first time ever

For the first time in the history of Gothia Cup will a club from Madagascar be represented in the tournament in Gothenburg.

Dream Team Foot Madagascar will come to Gothenburg with three teams next summer. They are happy to write history in Gothia Cup.
– It’s THE tournament not to be missed if we want to achieve our goals, says the coach Toky Harivola.

Dream Team Foot Madagascar is a non-profit sports association founded in 2023. It’s based in Antananarivo, the capital of Madagascar.
– Its goal is to promote the talents of young Malagasy people through sports, primarily football. It was out of love for this sport that a group of parents decided to establish this association. The club trains players aged five to 17 years old. We are also committed to undertaking social actions to teach our young players about sharing and helping others, says Toky Harivola.

What does football mean to the kids in Madagascar?
– Football has always been the most popular team sport in Madagascar. However, the performance of our national team during the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations had a significant impact on our country, which at the time was experienced as a national event. Since then, young people have dreamed of one thing: to become professionals and proudly represent our country’s colors, he says.
Toky tells us that they first became aware of Gothia Cup thanks to a Swedish friend who lives in Madagascar.
– We then did some research and were pleasantly surprised by the level of the competition, not only in terms of organization but especially the technical level of the participants. And the number of countries taking part only confirms this observation. For us, it’s THE tournament not to be missed if we want to achieve our goals, says the coach.

Dream Team Foot Madagascar will be the first club from Madagascar to compete in the tournament.
– It’s a great honour for us to be the first team from Madagascar to participate in this prestigious tournament. Through this participation, we hope to promote our country and highlight Malagasy culture, which is open to the entire world. Of course, given the level of the participants, we’re aware that it will be challenging. However, we will give our utmost to achieve the best possible result.

Toky Harivola is confident that the players will learn a lot from the experience in Gothia Cup and Gothenburg next year.
– We aim to provide our players with the opportunity to compete against high-level opponents, improve their skills, and refine their abilities in a world-class environment. Through the various exchanges we hope to have during the tournament, we aspire to broaden our perspective on the game and on different global cultures, especially since many of the players selected for this tournament have never left Madagascar. In this way, we hope to contribute to the development of our country and to the way we play football, he says.