With 650 teams, we will break last year’s record. We look forward to arranging the biggest South Cup ever.
Sør Cup has grown steadily since its inception in 2008. 2023 was the first time we passed 600 teams, when we ended up with 614 teams. This year there will be a new solid participation record with 650 teams.
– “Of course, it’s great that so many clubs choose Sør Cup again this summer. We are delighted that so many clubs come back year after year, and also that this year there are a number of teams that have never participated in Sør Cup before,” says Tournament Director Ole Gerhard Sørensen.
Registration for this year’s tournament has been at an unprecedented pace, and by the beginning of April there were already 600 teams registered. At one point there were over 50 teams on the waiting list.
– A number of teams have had to withdraw, so fortunately we’ve been able to accommodate quite a few of those on the waiting list, but unfortunately there are still a few dozen teams that we can’t accommodate this year,” says Sørensen, who mentions limitations on track capacity and accommodation capacity as reasons why not everyone can be accommodated.
– In addition, we are committed to ensuring that all teams have a good experience. Our vision is to “deliver Norway’s best tournament experience, on and off the pitch”. To make sure we can deliver the quality we want, this year we had to set the limit at around 650 teams.
300 visiting teams
Of the 650 teams, around 310 were visiting teams from all over Norway, as well as a team from Moldova.
358 of the teams are from Agder, with most clubs in the Kristiansand region well represented.
Just over 270 teams stay in schools run by us, while the rest stay at campsites and hotels around the city.
Food will be served to more than 4,000 participants with participant cards every day, and 1,653 matches will be held.
This means more than 16,500 volunteer hours from members of Fløy, Vindbjart and Donn.
– “The clubs have been mobilizing and preparing for this for a long time. Now we are ready to deliver the biggest, and hopefully best, South Cup of all time,” concludes the tournament director.