At just 13 years old, Misha Abarder is a few months away from stepping onto the pitch in Sweden for the 2026 Gothia Youth World Cup, the world’s largest and most prestigious youth football tournament. Since 1975, the Gothia Cup has been held annually in Gothenburg, Sweden, gathering thousands of the world’s finest young football players from over 80 nations. Over the course of one intense week, players compete across multiple venues, facing international opponents while experiencing different footballing cultures, forming friendships, and gaining perspective on the game and life beyond it.
At just 13 years old, Misha Abarder is a few months away from stepping onto the pitch in Sweden for the 2026 Gothia Youth Cup, the world’s largest and most prestigious youth football tournament.Misha was selected for the Camps Bay Football Club’s under-16 girls’ squad. She is the youngest player on the team, a distinction that reflects not just her talent, but her composure, resilience, and maturity beyond her years. “I wasn’t expecting it,” Misha admits.
“I knew they usually take under-16s overseas, and when I was told I had been selected, I was overjoyed, but I didn’t expect it at all,” Misha tells IOL. For Misha, representing South Africa, particularly in a minority sport such as women’s football, her selection validates her years of hard work, dedication, discipline, and perseverance.From an early age, Misha’s talent and leadership skills were apparent and distinct. In primary school, she made history as the first girl to play on the boys’ under-11 team.
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She also captained her school’s first-ever girls’ football team, and in 2024, she was named Player of the Year.Although these achievements are noteworthy, they do not completely represent Misha’s resolve, concentration, and poise on the field. Meet Misha Abader, a 13-year-old rising football star hoping to leave her mark on the beautiful game. When I met Misha, we kicked the ball around for a few minutes.
It was immediately evident how well she thinks about the game, timing her passes, anticipating movement, and communicating without raising her voice.Misha carries herself with a poise that is rare for someone so young; it’s easy to see why coaches and teammates respect her leadership.Misha’s father shares with IOL how football has taught her discipline, teamwork, resilience, and grace under pressure, and how it has given her confidence that has carried over into her academics and leadership.For Misha, representing her club and country, especially in a minority sport like women’s football, her selection is an affirmation of the many years of hard work, dedication, discipline, and perseverance she has put in. Misha’s father shares with IOL how football has taught her discipline, teamwork, resilience, and grace under pressure, and how it has given her confidence that has carried over into her academics and leadership.For Misha, representing her club and country, especially in a minority sport like women’s football, her selection is an affirmation of the many years of hard work, dedication, discipline, and perseverance she has put in. Early in her football career, Misha was the only girl in an all boys team.
Misha’s love for the game has become a routine, marked by early mornings on the field, bruises after matches, and the constant need to prove herself as a girl who many admit is better than most boys she has played against. “She’s plucky, she’s robust, and there’s never a yellow card too far away,” her father, Gasant Abarder, says with a laugh. “But that’s how the game should be played—hard, competitive and intense.”Misha’s natural position as a centre-back perfectly suits her as she isalways in the flow of the game, seeing situations two steps ahead, organising her defence, and guiding her teammates with quiet authority.Her leadership is modest but powerful, and her commitment to excellence is unwavering.
And for those who have watched her develop, the signs have always been clear.From her early days as the only girl on the pitch, to captaining teams at school and club level, to reading the game as a composed centre-back. She balances football with academics, discipline with enjoyment, and determination with humility.
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