Misha Abarder shares a heartfelt goodbye with her father and long-time coach, Gasant Abarder, at the airport before departing for the 2026 Gothia Youth Cup in Sweden.
The bags are packed, the goodbyes have been said, and a 15-hour journey via Istanbul awaits. For 13-year-old Misha Abarder, stepping onto the plane to Sweden is the realisation of a dream that began a decade ago on the local football pitches of Cape Town.
Misha is travelling to Gothenburg to compete in the 2026 Gothia Youth Cup as the youngest player on the Camps Bay Football Club under-16 girls squad.
Surrounded by her Camps Bay FC under-16 teammates, 13-year-old Misha Abarder prepares to represent South Africa at the 2026 Gothia Youth Cup.
First held in 1975, the Gothia Cup has grown into the largest and most prestigious youth football tournament on the planet. It is universally regarded as the youth equivalent of the FIFA World Cup. Every summer, thousands of teams descend on the Swedish city, turning it into a global festival of football.
