Tete Yengi

Tete Owen Yengi (born 28 November 2000) is an Australian professional soccer player who plays as a striker for J1 League club Machida Zelvia and the Australia national team. Yengi has previously played for Newcastle Jets, Ipswich Town, VPS, Northampton Town, KuPS and Livingston.

Early life and education Tete Owen Yengi was born on born 28 November 2000 in Adelaide, South Australia, of South Sudanese and English descent. His father, refugee advocate Ben Yengi, was from South Sudan, and Tete lived for some years in South Sudan as a child, as Ben was determined to help that country, and the lives of friends and family, after having received a good education and employment in Australia.

Tete and his older brother Kusini were always keen on football, and worked hard to their goal of becoming international players.

After the world cup 2026, Tete announced he has converted to Islam after reciting Shahada in Adelaide mosque.

Club career Newcastle Jets After playing two seasons at a semi-pro level with Adelaide Comets in NPL SA, Yengi signed a scholarship deal with Australian top division side Newcastle Jets on 30 December 2020. He made a total of nine appearances in A-League during the 2020–21 season.

Ipswich Town and loans In September 2021, Yengi moved to England and signed for League One club Ipswich Town on a one-year deal with the option for a further year, initially joining the team's Under 23 side.

VPS (loan) In April 2022, Yengi joined Vaasan Palloseura (VPS) on loan for the 2022 season. During his time in Finland, Yengi scored seven goals and assisted a further eleven in Veikkausliiga, winning his club's Player of the Year award.

Northampton Town (loan) On 31 January 2023, Yengi signed a new eighteen-month contract and subsequently joined League Two club Northampton Town on loan until the end of the season.

KuPS (loan) On 16 July 2023, Yengi returned to Finland and signed a loan deal with Kuopion Palloseura (KuPS) for the remainder of the 2023 season.

Livingston On 1 January 2024, a Scottish Premiership club Livingston announced the signing of Yengi on a two-and-a-half-year deal. Yengi made his debut the following day in a 1-2 home defeat against Hearts and scored his first Livi goal in the next league match, a penalty in a 1-4 home defeat by Dundee. He added a further three league goals, opening the scoring on each occasion, in a 1-0 home win against St Mirren, a 1-3 home defeat by Motherwell and a 5-1 loss away to Aberdeen. Despite Yengi's four goals in 16 games, at the end of the 2024-25 season, Livingston were relegated to the Scottish Championship after finishing bottom of the Premiership. In the Scottish Cup, Yengi added two memorable goals to his tally. Firstly in the fifth round, he headed home a 120th minute winner in a tie away to Partick Thistle, before equalizing to make the score 2-2 in an eventual 4-2 sixth round away defeat against Premiership champions Celtic at Celtic Park.

In the 2024-25 season Yengi competed with Stevie May and Robbie Muirhead for a place in the team, starting the fewest matches of the three, but played 42 times across all competitions and scored 10 goals. Notably he scored in the Scottish Challenge Cup final, a 5-0 win over Queen's Park, and in the second-leg of the Premiership Play-off final, a 2-4 victory against Ross County to seal promotion back to the top flight.

Machida Zelvia (loan) On 28 January 2026, Yengi moved to J1 League side Machida Zelvia on loan until 30 June 2026, with an option to buy. On 17 April 2026, Yengi scored the only goal of the game in a 1-0 win vs Al Ittihad in the AFC Champions League Quarter-Final. In July 2026, Livingston confirmed that Yengi had transferred to Machida Zelvia on a permanent basis.

Machida Zelvia On 8 August 2026, Yengi started for Machida Zelvia's opening match and scored in a 1-5 away victory over FC Tokyo

International career Yengi was named in the Australia's 26-man squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, despite never having been capped at international level. He is one of five players from Adelaide in the team.

Career statistics

International

Scores and results list Australia's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Yengi goal.

+ List of international goals scored by Tete YengiNo.DateVenueCapOpponentScoreResultCompetition1 6 June 2026 Snapdragon Stadium, San Diego, United States 1 1–1 1–1 Friendly

Honours Livingston Scottish Challenge Cup: 2024–25 Scottish Premiership play-offs: 2025