“We started off with 16 teams in the first year and we have now got it to 40 teams,” Cup founder and organiser Heinrich Haussler said. 

The tournament is truly international. 

Teams from New Zealand and Germany have joined the Australian players for their third and fourth years respectively. 

The first three games for the under 17s section were close. Kingaroy, playing as Brazil, beat Morisset, representing Italy, 1-0. 

Morisset’s Holland team also lost 2-0 to the Argentinian Coffs Harbour team. 

Yamba, playing as Italy, won against Kingaroy’s Brazil 1-0.

In the women’s open, Toowoomba, playing as USA, won 3-1 against Coffs Harbour, playing as Germany.

“It was an entertaining game,” Haussler said.

Kingaroy, playing as Brazil, had a tough first game in the under 15s, facing the German team from Frankfurt. Germany kept control of the ball for most of the game, winning 4-0.

“We always knew that the German team, coming all the way from Germany, it wouldn’t be a walk in the park,” player Sam Hirst said. 

He said it was the first time the Kingaroy team had played together, which made it difficult to come up against the Germans.

“They knew each other as a team”.

“As soon as we got the ball, we lost it,” teammate Ethan Lunn explained. 

“They counter-attacked really well,” added Willem Baines. 

“I think they were just the better team on the day. That’s something we can work on”.

Hirst promised that if his team played Germany again, the outcome would be different.

The German team were particularly hard to beat thanks to their goal keeper Sebastian Mellack, who has recently signed with the German national team.

“This here helps to promote football and maybe give the kids what it feels like to play in a real big tournament. For some of these kids, what they’ve dreamt of may be true,” Heinrich said.  

At the end of the tournament, four players will be given the opportunity to play and be coached in Germany. 

“They’ve come back as different people every year,” Heinrich said.

Nykodah Smith, who was chosen in last year’s tournament, went to Germany this year. Heinrich said the youth  now has two offers to play professionally.

“He is a goal scoring machine!”