Cedar Stars Academy have completed a remarkable one-month international football tour, making a lasting impact in Sweden and Norway during our debut appearances at the 2025 Gothia Cup and Norway Cup.
In Sweden, we proudly represented Ghana as one of 3 clubs to compete in the prestigious Gothia Puma Trophy (B17), finishing with a bronze medal.
The tournament featured 42 elite teams from 11 countries, and Cedar Stars were drawn into Group 2, where we defeated IK Sirius FK (Sweden) 3-2, FC Dinamo Bucuresti 1948 (Romania) 3-0, and earned a point against IFK Norrköping (Sweden) to top the group with 7 points.
We advanced to the knockout stage where we overcame IFK Göteborg (Sweden) 3-2 in the Round of 16 and outclassed Cantolao AD (Peru) 6-2 in the quarterfinals.
Our campaign however ended in the semifinals after a narrow 2-1 loss to Ivorian giants ASEC Mimosas, but the team’s performance earned widespread admiration on the global stage.
The journey continued in Norway, where we competed in the 2025 Norway Cup U-19 tournament, which featured 96 teams from five countries in the Boys U-19 11-a-side category. Cedar Stars were placed in Group 12, alongside three Norwegian teams.
We began our campaign in emphatic fashion, defeating Flaktveit Idrettsklubb 2 (11-0), followed by a (12-0) win over Rennebu IL, and closed out the group with a commanding (6-1) win against Molde FK, securing top spot and a place in the knockout phase.
The team continued their impressive form by eliminating Nord SK – Fotball (5-0) in the Round of 16, Strindheim Toppfotball 1 (4-1) in the quarterfinals, and Levanger FK (2-0) in the semifinals.
In a thrilling finale, we defeated Rana Fotballklubb (2-0) to be crowned Norway Cup U-19 Champions on our debut.
The team finished the tournament as the best side with a flawless record — 7 wins, 42 goals scored, and just 2 goals conceded – in what was a truly dominant and memorable campaign.
The tour not only showcased the immense talent and potential of the squad, but also provided valuable international exposure and experience for our young players.
Congratulations to the entire squad, technical team, and support staff for flying the flag of Ghana high. The journey continues — and the future is Forever Green.
