Around 20 Ethiopian youth football players (boys aged 14–17) and one or more accompanying leaders defected after they participated in the Gothia Cup in Gothenburg, Sweden, in July 2026.
They travelled from Ethiopia for the tournament. On the final day they left their school accommodation without notice and have not returned home. They likely defected to seek asylum.
Swedish police treat it as a voluntary disappearance and say there are no indications of trafficking or other crime. It seems that they will seek asylum in Sweden.
Supporters of the PP and previous TPLF government of Ethiopia used to mock Eritrean football players for defecting after Eritrea participated in international football matches. Now the same happens to Ethiopian football players.