Despite immigration fears, Ethiopian soccer tournament brings thousands to Minnesota
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The Ethiopian Sports Federation in North America almost didn’t host its annual soccer tournament in Minnesota this year because of the federal government’s “Operation Metro Surge.”
Federation spokesperson Yared Negash said the immigration enforcement frightened many community members, most of whom are immigrants. But he said protests against ICE made them feel welcome in Minnesota.
“They gave us that confidence, saying, ‘OK, it's safe for us to go,’ because the people that came out and fought for the immigrants, the people who lost their lives, are not even immigrants,” he said. “It shows you what kind of place that we came to, and we're happy we're here. We're glad that we picked this place to come.”
The tournament is held every year in different cities across the United States, bringing 32 Ethiopian teams from around the country and tens of thousands of people. The first game began Saturday.
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Negash said the tournament is basically a “World Cup for Ethiopians.”
“For this one week that we're here in Minnesota, we're basically bringing Ethiopia to the people of Minnesota and the communities that are around and surrounding us,” he said. “So, you might not be able to fly 14 and 16, 18, 22 hours to get to Ethiopia, but you can fly four hours, five hours, two hours, depending on where you're coming from, and have a small Ethiopia here.”
The ESFNA is a nonprofit organization, and none of the board members get paid to organize the tournament, according to Negash. He added that sponsorships and vendor tent rentals help cover the tournament’s costs. Any money left over goes to the 32 teams to help cover their expenses.
Eyosiyas Atsmegiyorgis, who is one of the many players in the tournament, said this is the “best thing” he does every year. He immigrated to the U.S. from Ethiopia in 2016, when he was 17, and joined Seattle Baro one month after arriving.
“I feel like it means a lot for me. This is like the best thing I do every year,” he said. “I mean, I don't get to go out, like vacation, other places and stuff. This is the time I wait every year to come here and have fun with my brothers.”
Atsmegiyorgis is the captain of the Seattle Baro and the reigning champion of the tournament. Outside of soccer, he is a delivery driver.
His teammate, Nebiu Kinfu, is an attacker for the team. Outside of soccer, he is an entrepreneur and a post-secondary advisor. He said the tournament unites everyone.
“We're just one; there's no difference, there's no separation, we're just one,” Kinfu said. “The whole ESFNA experience — it's a family, it's a gathering for all Ethiopians to come together and spend one week.”
Atsmegiyorgis said players face obstacles getting to the tournament, including taking time off work, meeting family obligations and covering travel costs.
He said local businesses and restaurants have donated to his team to help fund their expenses.
Getachew Tesfaye founded ESFNA and started the tournament 43 years ago. He said he never expected it to grow to the scale it's at today.
Tesfaye said it all started in college when he and his friends formed teams in their cities and played against each other. In 1984, four cities decided to hold the first tournament in Houston. He added the tournament is “magnificent.”
“It's evolution more than anything else,” he said. “It's just a gradual growth. I don't think we planned everything to be like this; you just can't plan this.”
The tournament runs through Saturday, and the Ethiopian Day celebration will be held on Friday; tickets are available on the ESFNA website. Gov. Tim Walz declared July 3 Ethiopian Day this year.
Correction (July 1, 2026): A previous version of this story misspelled Yared Negash’s name and misidentified Seattle Baro FC.
