Twenty young players and team leaders went missing on the final day of the tournament, with police believing the disappearance to be voluntary.

GOTHENBURG, SWEDEN — Swedish police have launched an international search for about 20 Ethiopian youth football players and team leaders who went missing after participating in the Gothia Cup, one of the world’s largest youth football tournaments .

The disappearance occurred on the final day of the tournament, when an administrator at the school housing the Ethiopian team discovered that the players and their accompanying adults had left without notifying anyone . The group includes boys aged between 14 and 17, along with one or more adult leaders .

Gothia Cup organizers contacted police as a precautionary measure, and a formal missing persons report was filed. Ten days after the tournament ended, the group remained unaccounted for and had not returned to Ethiopia .

Police have confirmed that the individuals did not return to Ethiopia and believe the disappearance to be voluntary . According to authorities, there is no evidence suggesting criminal activity or people smuggling behind the incident .

“No indication that anything illegal lies behind this, such as people smuggling or something similar,” Ellinor Halldin from the Swedish police’s missing persons unit told local media .

The Gothia Cup, also known as the World Youth Cup, featured teams from 77 nations this year, including four teams from Ethiopia . Fredrik Beckman, press spokesperson for the tournament, expressed surprise at the incident, noting that organizers had a good relationship with the team .

Police are working with the Swedish Migration Agency, border police, and authorities in other countries to locate the missing group . Officers expect to be alerted if any member of the group attempts to cross a border or comes into contact with officials .

“It is possible that they may be trying to stay in Sweden or another country, but that is speculation at this point,” Halldin added .

The Gothia Cup is an annual international youth football tournament held in Gothenburg, Sweden, attracting teams from around the world.