When the 38th edition of the Gothia Cup starts on 15 July it is with a larger and more international participation than ever before – a total of 1625 teams from 80 different countries.
– It’s amazing that despite growing competition and a tough global economy we are able to strengthen our position as the world’s biggest youth sporting event. That we continue to grow shows that the Gothia Cup today is an international event that just gets more and more well known and popular, says the tournament’s General Secretary Dennis Anderson.
Also last year the tournament broke the participation record of all times. 1570 teams from 73 different nations participated. It was a record for the number of participating nations, and a tangency of the record in the number of participating teams. But these numbers are exceeded thus greatly during Gothia Cup in 2012.
– I am particularly pleased that we have attracted participants from 80 different nations worldwide. It is the interaction between people that Gothia Cup is basically all about. To use football as a way to overcome differences and differences and to understand each other, says Dennis Andersson.
This year’s Gothia Cup also means that two countries participate in the tournament for the very first time – Japan and Tajikistan. The Japanese team Tokyo Verdy will come to Gothenburg as a result of a cooperation agreement signed between Gothia Cup and the Japanese Football Association and their highest league J. League. The team from Tajikistan participates in class Kim Kallstrom Trophy – the class for young people with a learning disability.
– It is always satisfying to welcome new members into the large and growing Gothia Cup family. After this year’s tournament nearly one million players from 137 different nations have participated in the Gothia Cup since the beginning in 1975. It’s almost staggering when you think about it.
Gothia Cup also helps to create new jobs. Each year the tournament is expected to contribute SEK 350 million in revenue to local businesses and 148 million in tax revenue to the state.
– We are proud to be the largest and most important annual event in Sweden. Furthermore, we are probably the event that has most impact in the image of Gothenburg and Sweden on the international stage, says Dennis Andersson.
You can see all the registered teams here
(Groups and fixtures will be published later)
