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Lebanese sport is definitely present in all four corners of the world. This time, Lebanese football is participating in the Gothia Cup, which is currently taking place in Sweden. So it was with great pride that the Lebanese flag was paraded on Monday evening in front of more than 51,000 people at the grand opening of this major sporting event in the huge Ullevi stadium. This legendary stadium was inaugurated for the 1958 World Cup and regularly hosts football competitions, athletic meetings, and concerts. The pop-rock band Coldplay gave a spectacular concert there a few days ago.
The Gothia Cup, also known as the Youth World Cup, is a world youth football tournament held every July in Gothenburg, Sweden, since 1975.
Over 30,000 players
Open to young boys and girls aged eleven to nineteen, the tournament attracts more than thirty thousand players, making it the biggest in the world in terms of the number of participants. 34,200 participants and 1,603 teams from 65 different countries took part in the event in 2022.
“It’s a fantastic and memorable inauguration,” declared Gothia Cup event director Anders Albertsson enthusiastically, before emphasizing that “football” in this competition is not just “motion” but also “emotion,” as these six days of tournaments between 1,800 teams from the four corners of the world are an experience rich in encounters and feelings.
Of the 69 nations from around the world taking part in this top-level international competition, Lebanon is one of the few Arab countries to be included.
Coming from three Lebanese clubs (Athletico SC, Beirut FAC, and FC Beirut), the young footballers, aged 12 to 16, are enthusiastic about playing against prestigious teams such as those from Brazil, Sweden, Argentina, Germany, and France.
To top it all off, when preparing to leave Lebanon at Beirut International Airport, the young footballers got to meet famous Ivorian international footballer Salomon Kalou, winner of the Champions League in 2012, who had come to spend a few days with his family in the Land of the Cedars.
That’s all it took to inspire hope in our budding champions. Good luck, and bring the cup home!
