SKF Zambia proudly hosted the riveting SKF ‘Meet the World’ football tournament at the International School of Lusaka Grounds (ISL) on 12 April 2025.
U-17 all-girl teams from six clubs in the rural areas of Lusaka – Kaunda Square Queens, Black Stars Ladies, Kanyama Bulls, Fearless Sports Academy, Bauleni Sports Academy (Busa) and Kalingalinga Town Queens – were invited to participate in the local Cup, with the victorious team earning the opportunity to travel to Göteborg, Sweden, in July to represent Zambia at the Gothia Cup, the world’s largest international youth football tournament of which SKF is the main sponsor.
The one-day tournament in Lusaka was an action-packed event; spectators were treated to a soccer fest of 12 matches, culminating in a final showdown between Busa and Fearless Sports Academy. A decisive 2-0 victory will see Team Busa heading to Sweden in July to compete in the Gothia Cup.
Göteborg, Sweden’s second-largest city, hosts the Gothia Cup, every July, drawing 40,000 players from 80 countries who compete in 4,500 matches held across 110 soccer fields. Since its establishment in 1975 with just 275 teams, the Gothia Cup has experienced extraordinary growth. This soccer festival now features around 1,700 teams and has attracted nearly one million visitors from 148 countries to date.
This was SKF Zambia’s second time hosting the tournament and according to Sales Coordinator and Customer Service Support at SKF Zambia, Kashiya Musonda, two teams from the 2014 local event represented Zambia at the Gothia Cup in Sweden. “Barbara Banda, the 2024 BBC Footballer of the Year, was a member of that Zambian contingent.”
“As past winners of the tournament, it only made sense, that on the 50th anniversary of this elite youth tournament, we ensure Zambia is represented by a girl’s football team,” stated Satrajit Chakraborty, SKF Regional Manager for East Africa and Zambia. “Although only the winner has the privilege of representing their country at the Gothia cup in Sweden this summer, all the competing teams are champions in their own right.”
Chakraborty concludes: “For a country that is football mad, and looking at the skills of these young stars, the future of women’s football is bright in this part of the world. SKF Group is playing its part in ensuring the right platform and exposure is given to those who may not have gotten the opportunity before, but now is their time to shine, one pass at a time. Congratulations to the winning team!”
SKF recognizes the importance of this esteemed event in fostering teamwork, responsibility, equality, and youth engagement worldwide. It creates opportunities for connections and cultural exchange through football, breaking down barriers of race, religion and culture. This commitment led SKF to initiate the Gothia Cup pre-tournaments, aptly named ‘Meet the World,’ in its subsidiary countries.
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