Nearly 800 players from across the United States and Canada will compete in a soccer tournament celebrating Ethiopian culture between June 28 and July 5 at Federal Way Memorial Stadium, 1300 S. 308th St. in Federal Way.
The weeklong tournament will culminate in cultural showcases, including music, dance, art, cuisine and various vendors, according to the Ethiopian Sports Federation of North America (ESFNA).
There are 16 division one and 16 division two men’s teams that will compete throughout the week, with two women’s teams also playing.
Seattle has two teams who will be competing, the Seattle Dashen FC and the Seattle Baro FC.
Seattle Dashen Team President Tadiwos Melashu is also the local lead organizer for ESFNA 2025 and is on the board of ESFNA.
Melashu told the Mirror they expect over 5,000 people to travel to the event from outside of the country and state, plus the tens of thousands of people that make up the Ethiopian community in the greater Seattle area.
Aside from the brand new venue, Melashu said the city was chosen because “even within Federal Way, our Ethiopian communities are growing so much, a lot of people own businesses and then residential homes.”
In fact, the first Ethiopian church in the city also opened recently, right near the stadium. Menbere Tsebaot Holy Trinity EOT Church is located at 31140 Pacific Hwy. S. in Federal Way.
Event schedule
The event has changed locations yearly in its 42 years . This will be the fourth time it has been held near Seattle, but the first in Federal Way. The most recent local tournament took place in Renton in 2017.
The event will kick off with opening ceremonies on Sunday, June 29. This will include a surprise show or event of some kind that is different each year. One year, this surprise was having people parachute into the stadium as part of the show.
Games will run 9 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday.
On July 4, there will be no games. Friday is Ethiopian Day and will include music, dancing, performances, famous figures from Ethiopia and more from 4 p.m. until 10:30 p.m.
The city will be full of celebrations of all kinds as the Red, White and Blues Festival will also be happening in Federal Way that evening at Celebration Park to celebrate Independence Day.
Saturday will finish with Division 1 and Division 2 championship games, the women’s game and a trophy ceremony. The weeklong celebration will end with an exhibition and concert at the Space Needle in Seattle.
Local impact
The City of Federal Way awarded a certificate of appreciation to the ESFNA on June 6 for choosing the city to host the tournament.
“We are grateful that such a prestigious organization is coming to the Pacific Northwest, and we look forward to hosting you in our beautiful city,” the award states.
Federal Way City Councilmember Lydia Assefa-Dawson told the Mirror that she is “so proud to be part of this momentous event in my city.”
Assefa-Dawson has been on the local organizing committee twice in the past — although this time she focused on helping coordinate the arrangements, as she is a leader in the host city. As a councilmember, she said she is looking forward to the positive impact of hosting the event here and said she hopes that guests will “see that our city is a diverse, welcoming place to enjoy your time.”
Assefa-Dawson shared she is also looking forward to it as a member of the Ethiopian community herself. She enjoys the chance to connect with friends and community as members of the Ethiopian diaspora come together in one place from all over the country and world.
ESFNA has contracted with local businesses for their security team, cleaning crews and more, and guests will be enjoying local amenities throughout the week.
ESFNA does this through scholarships and mentorship and networking programs. While the focus of the event is on the tournament and celebrating Ethiopian culture, it is also a time for Ethiopian professionals to mentor young people and for the community to connect in general.
The vendor area will include dry good vendors selling souvenirs and T-shirts, with about 25 food vendors and about 20 nonprofits. A sponsor section will also include entertainment with DJs.
In addition to enhancing the event for guests, the tournament can have a big impact on small business owners who can get a big boost to their sales by being vendors.
“So far our experience in Federal Way has been amazing,” Melashu said, emphasizing their great experience with Federal Way Public Schools in the partnership with the Federal Way High School Memorial Stadium, adding that “the stadium is beautiful” and “we’re super excited.”
Passes for eight days and three days are available for purchase at esfna.org/registration/passes while single day passes are available for purchase here: https://www.ticketleap.events/tickets/esfna/seattle-2025.
The annual ESFNA tournament in 2017 drew members of the Ethiopian diaspora from all over the region, country and world. Photo courtesy of ESFNA.
The ESFNA annual tournament includes cultural performances, dance, music, food, vendors and more in addition to the soccer matches themselves. Photo courtesy of ESFNA.
