The Ethiopian Football Federation has separated itself from a delegation of about 20 youth players and adult team supervisors who went missing in Sweden after the conclusion of the 2026 Gothia Cup.
School officials at the team’s accommodation in Gothenburg discovered on July 18, the final day of the youth tournament, that the group had left the premises without prior notice.
The missing delegation includes players between the ages of 14 and 17, as well as several adult team officials.
The EFF issued an official statement addressing the disappearance, clarifying that the group was not part of the Ethiopian national team setup and had not travelled to Sweden under the federation’s authority.
“We express our sadness over the disappearance of the youths,” stated the EFF.
“We clarify that youth teams travel to these competitions through opportunities secured by their own individual efforts and do not represent the Ethiopian National Team. The missing youths departed through their own efforts and were not sent by the federation.”
Following confirmation from school administrators that the delegation had left and failed to return for scheduled flights, tournament organizers informed local authorities. Swedish Police, the Swedish Border Police, and the Swedish Migration Agency launched a coordinated operation to establish the whereabouts of the missing individuals.
Ellinor Halldin, from the Missing Persons Unit at Swedish Police Region West, provided details about the early stage of the investigation and said authorities had found no evidence of criminal activity.
“There are no indications that there is anything illegal behind it, such as human trafficking or similar,” Halldin stated. “We have no idea if they’re trying to stay in Sweden. That would just be speculation. In the past, we’ve had disappearances before in the Gothia Cup but never so many as this. Those have been for different reasons, either they’ve already gone home or they’ve wanted to stay in Sweden or another country.”
Swedish authorities are continuing efforts to trace the group while working with relevant regional agencies and migration officials as investigations into the case remain ongoing.
