this is the longest post about the least relevant footballing nation you know - swedish fb 101
Well, it’s time! The 2011 season of Allsvenskan is officially starting on Saturday. Exciting? Of course!! Needless to say, I felt the need for an introduction post to it all. Your very own 101 to everything Swedish football. Or, well, as much as I can cram in. And then some more that I’ve missed. Anyway, this is your guide to Allsvenskan, Superettan and my very own NT.
Let’s call it Sweden 101
This post is brought to you by me and my nt captain, Zlatan trollobramović! We hope you enjoy the ride, and even if you don’t you will undoubtedly be a little bit richer on knowledge when you exit the post (I hope…………….)
Allsvenskan
Sweden is, as hard as it may be to believe, actually a relatively football centered country. Despite being located way up north and being generally anonymous regarding exporting talents, and having snow from September to May (as of 2010 statistics), we are passionate about the sport. Hockey a bit more perhaps, but that’s not what we’re here to talk about. Allsvenskan (which is actually a name used for more than just football, but Fotbollsallsvenskan is the official name for men’s top league football) wasn’t the first league in Sweden, its predecessor was Svenska Serien (literally the Swedish Series, more commonly you’d say the Swedish Football Series) and was played in from around 1910, to around autumn 1924. After that, the current league you know as Allsvenskan, took after.
Like most countries out there we have Allsvenskan (top league) followed by Superettan, Division 1, Division 2, Division 3 etc. The team who’ve won the league the most is currently Malmö FF with 18 now 19 titles (who have shown to be able to do more than win leagues, but we’ll get to them later!), IFK Göteborg occupying the second with 13 titles, and IFK Norrköping third with 12 titles.
Fun fact: Though Malmö FF have indeed won more Allsvenskan titles than IFK Göteborg has, it is to be noted that Göteborg have won more titles than them wholly. Since SM (Svenska Mästerskapen I Fotboll/Swedish Football Champions) isn’t accounted for in the previously presented scoresheet.
2009 year’s champions were AIK, and 2010’s Malmö. Both of which you will undoubtedly get to hear about further down.
Teams in Allsvenskan as of 2011:
Superettan is the 2nd league then. There isn’t really much to say there I suppose, other than that I will bring you the table for 2011’s division too. Superettan hasn’t always been the second division, however. Smartly, the second division has previously been Division one, and then Division two etc. It was first in 2000 that Superettan became the official “Division two” league for men’s football in Sweden.
It should also be mentioned up here, something about the violence that’s been very big in Swedish football over recent years. Ultras and large hooligan associations aren’t uncommon, and huge supporter clashes has plagued the sport for years. In recent years the spotlight has shone largely over the three Stockholm clubs - Djurgården, AIK and Hammarby. However, there’s been a relatively new decision taken by the government that the clubs are now responsible for their own fans. i.e the clubs are going to have to pay the costs the state has previously paid for whenever police is forced to come and break up brawls etc. Hopefully this should help the clubs that slack in punishing hooligans to set an example, since there is no club which can afford to pay these costs themselves.
It should be noted that despite how rowdy Swedish football has been, and to some extent still is. This is very much not how the league overall looks. The fans in general are very supportive and very very loyal, and the games are very organized. Despite how much Swedes may critizise their own league, football is a huge sport over here and we love it for what it is. Despite the unfortunate state of the league. Which has included, over recent years, hooliganism and economical hardships for a lot of clubs. Most recently, AIK, Hammarby and Malmö are amongst those to record the biggest losses.
Since I’m from Stockholm I’m also including a specific note on the rivalry between the three clubs. The Stockholm 3 can be divided such as this: Hammarby - South. Djurgården - Center. AIK - North. Djurgården have generally always been the top class team out of the three. The club was also funded with the policy that the only accepted members would be those born at Djurgården. Meanwhile Hammarby have always considered themselves the working class club (coming from Söder, which is originally the working distric of Stockholm), and is according to statistics the most popular team out of them. AIK were the first organization to be funded, and the name Allmänna Idrottsklubben (The Common Sports Organization) meant that it would be open to join for everybody. It could by that be considered the breakout out of the sports organizations then since it would welcome all sportsmen. However, the primary orientation back then was first and foremost track and field, and also gymnastics. At the time, it was those sports that were considered “Allmänna sporter” (generical sports, by my lousy translation.)
Some short info on some of the most well known teams:
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AIK
Complete name: Allmänna Idrottsklubben Fotboll
Funded: 1896
Supporters: Smokinglirarna, Black Army, Sol Invictus, Ultras Nord (should be mentioned that the Royal Family of Sweden are known AIK supporters, minus the king who’s DIF fo lyf)
Location: Solna, Stockholm
Famous players: Olof Mellberg could be regarded as one, despite actually coming from Degerfors. A lot of AIK supporters see him as theirs however.
Head coach: Alex Miller
Rivalries: Djurgårdens IF, Hammarby IF, IFK Göteborg (mostly due to supporter hate and the rivalry which stems from both being top Allsvenskan contenders. You don’t meet anybody who’s a fan of both)
Official page: AIK
Note: As discussed in the comments, AIK supporter branch the Black Army and its "sister" group Firman Boys which grew out of the organization in the early '90s are some of the groups that have been targeted for hooliganism the most in press. Firman Boys are the most noteable, with a book written about the organization called En av Grabbarna (One of the boys), and has been the subject to an investigation that was presented in Swedish television. The show was called Insider and could present evidence of (amongst other things) ties to the MC club Hells Angels. This is by no means a note meant to cast anything bad over AIK as a club, but I would recommend anyone interested (and who is able to) pick up the book. Because it is a very interesting read on the subject of hooliganism in sports.
Home Arena: Råsundastadion (36 608)
Kits:
Players:
AIK fans away vs Elfsborg
DIF
Complete name: Djurgårdens IF
Funded: 1891
Supporters: Djurgårdens Supporters Club, Järnkaminerna (Formerly Blue Saints), (Famous supporters are King Carl Gustav, Fredrik Reinfeldt (Swedish prime minister) and Christer Fuglesang (you know, that Swede who played golf in space)
Location: Djurgården, Stockholm
Head coach: Lennart Wass & Carlos Banda (shared post)
Rivalries: AIK, Hammarby IF, (here, it is to be noted that AIK is probably their biggest rival. The game played between the teams is called Tvillingderbyt (lit. the twin derby) which stems from that both clubs were funded the same year, and due to them having shared home arenas too)
Official page: DIF
Home Arena: Stockholms Stadion (14 4179)
Kits:
Players:
DIF fans at home vs AIK
Blåvitt
Complete name: IFK Göteborg
Funded: 1895
Supporters: Supporterklubben Änglarna (separate supporter gatherings branching from Änglarna include Ultra Bulldogs, Young Lions, West Coast Angelz etc)
Location: Göteborg
Famous players: Glenn Hysén, also mother club of son Tobias Hysén.
Head coach: Stefan Rehn & Jonas Olsson (shared)
Rivalries: GAIS, AIK, Malmö FF (for the sake of hate only. This is true, unfortunately, the clubs aren’t technically rivals anywhere, but their supporters are)
Official page: IFK Göteborg
Home arena: Gamla Ullevi (24 000)
Kits:
Players:
IFK supporters away vs Hammarby
Malmö FF
Complete name: Malmö FF
Funded: 1910
Supporters: MFF Support, Supras Malmö
Location: Malmö
Famous players: this one should everybody know, yes? Zlatan Ibrahimovic is probably Malmö’s most famous export, but others include international player Markus Rosenberg, and Brazil’s Afonso Alves.
Head coach: Roland Nilsson
Rivalries: Helsingborg IF (notably also Öster IF, which a lot might not really know about since the two teams don’t share league, but still a notable former rivality), IFK Göteborg (like previously noted in the post, most of this supposed rivalry stems supporter hate)
Official page: Malmö FF
Home arena: Swedbank Stadion (24 000)
Kits:
Players:
Malmö supporters vs Trelleborg
Bajen
Complete name: Hammarby IF
Funded: Officially Hammarby was funded as a general sports association in 1897, though the team that put it together in itself were themselves funders as early as 1889. This was, however, not a football club, but one for rowers. The football club was funded in 1915 when home stadium Söderstadion also was built.
Supporters: Hammarby IF association, Bajenfans, Bajen Ultras. Famous supporters include Alexander Skarsgård, Stellan Skarsgård, Björn Borg, Eagle-eye Cherry, Mick Jones, Joel Kinnaman, Dr Alban.
Location: Söder, Stockholm
Famous players: I could name so many, couldn’t I? For the ones who know their share of Hammarby history, Nacka Skoglund, Kenta Ohlsson, Mikael Hellström. Some of you might know of Paulinho Guará, who stems from Atlético Mineiro. Most of you would however know of DC United’s Charlie Davies! He came to Hammarby from Ajax, having failed a trial for the club. His start was admittedly a slow one, but he played for us for 3 years and got his major break in his second year with the club.
Head coach: Roger Franzén
Official page: Hammarby IF
Fun Facts: Askars is a huge fan. Which by default makes him flawless, even though idrc about him. Two huge fans, to be parents back in 2007, fought tooth and nail to get the rights to name their son Bajen. Yes, they won. Bajen is actually quite the stupid name and was born through Stickan Andersson who, whilst on hockey tour with the club through the UK in 1946, started mock pronouncing Hammarby “Hammarbaj”, because of the English pronouncing it like that. Thus the name was born. 1997’s spring derby Hammarby and DIF between was won by Hammarby, ending 1-0. Hammarby used 4 subs in the game, which isn’t often seen simply because it’s not allowed. Hammarby share owners with the Los Angeles Kings (NHL), the Los Angeles Lakers (NBA) and the Los Angeles Galaxy (MLS).
Home arena: Söderstadion (12 882)
Players:
Kits:
Rivalries: Ah, the fun with living in Stockholm. Sweden’s capital - it houses three major football clubs that (needless to say) are major rivals: Djurgårdens IF, AIK, and Hammarby IF. I doubt this section needs much tl;dr text to read through.
Askars rouses Bajen fans vs Syrianska
Freshmen of the year - Syrianska!
Complete name: Syrianska FC
Funded: 1977
Supporters: Gefe fans, Ultras 77
Location: Södertälje
Famous players: Not really, however the few Hammarby fans or the ones in the know might remember Suleyman “Sulan” Sleyman, who served the club for 10 years before returning to Syrianska in 2008. Oh, and Sharbel Tuoma (played for both Twente and Mönchengladbach) is originally from Syrianska, and returned to them in 2010 after a very short, second stint with Djurgården.
Head coach: Özcan Melkemichel
Official page: Syrianska FC
Home arena: Södertälje Fotbollsarena (6400)
Kits:
Players:
Syrianska Supporters in Superettan premiere
Elfsborg
Complete name: IF Elfsborg
Funded: 1904
Supporters: Guliganerna, Gamla Elfsborgare, Yellow Fanatics, Gulsvarta Själar
Location: Borås
Famous Players: Anders "Taco-Anders" Svensson, Tobias Linderoth, Fredrik Berglund etc
Head coach: Magnus Haglund
Official page: IF Elfsborg
Fun fact: Elfsborg has by far been the most successful Swedish team in Europe in recent years. The club qualified for the Champions League in 07 for the upcoming 07/08 season. They got to the third and final qualifying round where they faced off with Spanish side Valencia CF where they would eventually crash out. First leg away was a 3-0 defeat, and the returning home leg was a 2-1 defeat.
Home arena: Borås Arena (16 894)
Kits:
Players:
Elfsborg supporters vs BK Häcken
So, now that we’re done with that, I guess I’ll go on what everybody’s waited for - the Swedish national team!
SWEDEN NT
Complete name: The Swedish National Team
Nickname: most commonly Blågult (Blue-yellow, as directly translated)
Funded: 1908
Head coach: Erik Hamrén
Captain: Zlatan Ibrahimović
Vice Captain: Anders Svensson
FIFA Ranking: (as of February 2011) 29
Noteable (active) + (retired) players: Zlatan Ibrahimović, Thomas Ravelli, Olof Mellberg, Kennet Andersson, Henrik Larsson, Fredrik Ljungberg, Marcus Allbäck, Tomas Brolin etc
Most capped: Thomas Ravelli (143)
Most capped (active): Anders Svensson (113)
Most goals: Sven Rydell (49)
Most goals (active): Zlatan Ibrahimović (25)
Fun fact: These stats may look pretty impressive, but then you should have a look at the stats for Sweden's flawless ladies. Most capped player ever for Sweden is Therese Sjögran who is still active! She's played for us a hopping 167 times. Most goals from the ladies is held by the icon Hanna Ljungberg who's scored 72 times in total, and who was active from 1996 to 2008!
Other: Sweden has participated in a total of 11 world cups (men), and in 6 women's world cups. We've held in one, back in 1958, which was won by Brazil, and were best placed that year too, coming in second after a final loss to the Brazilians which ended 5-2. Sweden have collected 2 bronze medals over the years, the first coming in 1950, and the second in 1994 in which amongst others, Henke Larsson was in the squad for. We also scored the most goals there.
Home arena: Råsunda
Kits:
players:
mini picspam tyfyt
Let’s call it Sweden 101
This post is brought to you by me and my nt captain, Zlatan trollobramović! We hope you enjoy the ride, and even if you don’t you will undoubtedly be a little bit richer on knowledge when you exit the post (I hope…………….)
Allsvenskan
Sweden is, as hard as it may be to believe, actually a relatively football centered country. Despite being located way up north and being generally anonymous regarding exporting talents, and having snow from September to May (as of 2010 statistics), we are passionate about the sport. Hockey a bit more perhaps, but that’s not what we’re here to talk about. Allsvenskan (which is actually a name used for more than just football, but Fotbollsallsvenskan is the official name for men’s top league football) wasn’t the first league in Sweden, its predecessor was Svenska Serien (literally the Swedish Series, more commonly you’d say the Swedish Football Series) and was played in from around 1910, to around autumn 1924. After that, the current league you know as Allsvenskan, took after.
Like most countries out there we have Allsvenskan (top league) followed by Superettan, Division 1, Division 2, Division 3 etc. The team who’ve won the league the most is currently Malmö FF with 18 now 19 titles (who have shown to be able to do more than win leagues, but we’ll get to them later!), IFK Göteborg occupying the second with 13 titles, and IFK Norrköping third with 12 titles.
Fun fact: Though Malmö FF have indeed won more Allsvenskan titles than IFK Göteborg has, it is to be noted that Göteborg have won more titles than them wholly. Since SM (Svenska Mästerskapen I Fotboll/Swedish Football Champions) isn’t accounted for in the previously presented scoresheet.
2009 year’s champions were AIK, and 2010’s Malmö. Both of which you will undoubtedly get to hear about further down.
Teams in Allsvenskan as of 2011:
Superettan is the 2nd league then. There isn’t really much to say there I suppose, other than that I will bring you the table for 2011’s division too. Superettan hasn’t always been the second division, however. Smartly, the second division has previously been Division one, and then Division two etc. It was first in 2000 that Superettan became the official “Division two” league for men’s football in Sweden.
It should also be mentioned up here, something about the violence that’s been very big in Swedish football over recent years. Ultras and large hooligan associations aren’t uncommon, and huge supporter clashes has plagued the sport for years. In recent years the spotlight has shone largely over the three Stockholm clubs - Djurgården, AIK and Hammarby. However, there’s been a relatively new decision taken by the government that the clubs are now responsible for their own fans. i.e the clubs are going to have to pay the costs the state has previously paid for whenever police is forced to come and break up brawls etc. Hopefully this should help the clubs that slack in punishing hooligans to set an example, since there is no club which can afford to pay these costs themselves.
Click to viewIt should be noted that despite how rowdy Swedish football has been, and to some extent still is. This is very much not how the league overall looks. The fans in general are very supportive and very very loyal, and the games are very organized. Despite how much Swedes may critizise their own league, football is a huge sport over here and we love it for what it is. Despite the unfortunate state of the league. Which has included, over recent years, hooliganism and economical hardships for a lot of clubs. Most recently, AIK, Hammarby and Malmö are amongst those to record the biggest losses.
Since I’m from Stockholm I’m also including a specific note on the rivalry between the three clubs. The Stockholm 3 can be divided such as this: Hammarby - South. Djurgården - Center. AIK - North. Djurgården have generally always been the top class team out of the three. The club was also funded with the policy that the only accepted members would be those born at Djurgården. Meanwhile Hammarby have always considered themselves the working class club (coming from Söder, which is originally the working distric of Stockholm), and is according to statistics the most popular team out of them. AIK were the first organization to be funded, and the name Allmänna Idrottsklubben (The Common Sports Organization) meant that it would be open to join for everybody. It could by that be considered the breakout out of the sports organizations then since it would welcome all sportsmen. However, the primary orientation back then was first and foremost track and field, and also gymnastics. At the time, it was those sports that were considered “Allmänna sporter” (generical sports, by my lousy translation.)
Some short info on some of the most well known teams:
AIK
Complete name: Allmänna Idrottsklubben Fotboll
Funded: 1896
Supporters: Smokinglirarna, Black Army, Sol Invictus, Ultras Nord (should be mentioned that the Royal Family of Sweden are known AIK supporters, minus the king who’s DIF fo lyf)
Location: Solna, Stockholm
Famous players: Olof Mellberg could be regarded as one, despite actually coming from Degerfors. A lot of AIK supporters see him as theirs however.
Head coach: Alex Miller
Rivalries: Djurgårdens IF, Hammarby IF, IFK Göteborg (mostly due to supporter hate and the rivalry which stems from both being top Allsvenskan contenders. You don’t meet anybody who’s a fan of both)
Official page: AIK
Note: As discussed in the comments, AIK supporter branch the Black Army and its "sister" group Firman Boys which grew out of the organization in the early '90s are some of the groups that have been targeted for hooliganism the most in press. Firman Boys are the most noteable, with a book written about the organization called En av Grabbarna (One of the boys), and has been the subject to an investigation that was presented in Swedish television. The show was called Insider and could present evidence of (amongst other things) ties to the MC club Hells Angels. This is by no means a note meant to cast anything bad over AIK as a club, but I would recommend anyone interested (and who is able to) pick up the book. Because it is a very interesting read on the subject of hooliganism in sports.
Home Arena: Råsundastadion (36 608)
Kits:
Players:
AIK fans away vs Elfsborg
DIF
Complete name: Djurgårdens IF
Funded: 1891
Supporters: Djurgårdens Supporters Club, Järnkaminerna (Formerly Blue Saints), (Famous supporters are King Carl Gustav, Fredrik Reinfeldt (Swedish prime minister) and Christer Fuglesang (you know, that Swede who played golf in space)
Location: Djurgården, Stockholm
Head coach: Lennart Wass & Carlos Banda (shared post)
Rivalries: AIK, Hammarby IF, (here, it is to be noted that AIK is probably their biggest rival. The game played between the teams is called Tvillingderbyt (lit. the twin derby) which stems from that both clubs were funded the same year, and due to them having shared home arenas too)
Official page: DIF
Home Arena: Stockholms Stadion (14 4179)
Kits:
Players:
DIF fans at home vs AIK
Blåvitt
Complete name: IFK Göteborg
Funded: 1895
Supporters: Supporterklubben Änglarna (separate supporter gatherings branching from Änglarna include Ultra Bulldogs, Young Lions, West Coast Angelz etc)
Location: Göteborg
Famous players: Glenn Hysén, also mother club of son Tobias Hysén.
Head coach: Stefan Rehn & Jonas Olsson (shared)
Rivalries: GAIS, AIK, Malmö FF (for the sake of hate only. This is true, unfortunately, the clubs aren’t technically rivals anywhere, but their supporters are)
Official page: IFK Göteborg
Home arena: Gamla Ullevi (24 000)
Kits:
Players:
IFK supporters away vs Hammarby
Malmö FF
Complete name: Malmö FF
Funded: 1910
Supporters: MFF Support, Supras Malmö
Location: Malmö
Famous players: this one should everybody know, yes? Zlatan Ibrahimovic is probably Malmö’s most famous export, but others include international player Markus Rosenberg, and Brazil’s Afonso Alves.
Head coach: Roland Nilsson
Rivalries: Helsingborg IF (notably also Öster IF, which a lot might not really know about since the two teams don’t share league, but still a notable former rivality), IFK Göteborg (like previously noted in the post, most of this supposed rivalry stems supporter hate)
Official page: Malmö FF
Home arena: Swedbank Stadion (24 000)
Kits:
Players:
Malmö supporters vs Trelleborg
Bajen
Complete name: Hammarby IF
Funded: Officially Hammarby was funded as a general sports association in 1897, though the team that put it together in itself were themselves funders as early as 1889. This was, however, not a football club, but one for rowers. The football club was funded in 1915 when home stadium Söderstadion also was built.
Supporters: Hammarby IF association, Bajenfans, Bajen Ultras. Famous supporters include Alexander Skarsgård, Stellan Skarsgård, Björn Borg, Eagle-eye Cherry, Mick Jones, Joel Kinnaman, Dr Alban.
Location: Söder, Stockholm
Famous players: I could name so many, couldn’t I? For the ones who know their share of Hammarby history, Nacka Skoglund, Kenta Ohlsson, Mikael Hellström. Some of you might know of Paulinho Guará, who stems from Atlético Mineiro. Most of you would however know of DC United’s Charlie Davies! He came to Hammarby from Ajax, having failed a trial for the club. His start was admittedly a slow one, but he played for us for 3 years and got his major break in his second year with the club.
Head coach: Roger Franzén
Official page: Hammarby IF
Fun Facts: Askars is a huge fan. Which by default makes him flawless, even though idrc about him. Two huge fans, to be parents back in 2007, fought tooth and nail to get the rights to name their son Bajen. Yes, they won. Bajen is actually quite the stupid name and was born through Stickan Andersson who, whilst on hockey tour with the club through the UK in 1946, started mock pronouncing Hammarby “Hammarbaj”, because of the English pronouncing it like that. Thus the name was born. 1997’s spring derby Hammarby and DIF between was won by Hammarby, ending 1-0. Hammarby used 4 subs in the game, which isn’t often seen simply because it’s not allowed. Hammarby share owners with the Los Angeles Kings (NHL), the Los Angeles Lakers (NBA) and the Los Angeles Galaxy (MLS).
Home arena: Söderstadion (12 882)
Players:
Kits:
Rivalries: Ah, the fun with living in Stockholm. Sweden’s capital - it houses three major football clubs that (needless to say) are major rivals: Djurgårdens IF, AIK, and Hammarby IF. I doubt this section needs much tl;dr text to read through.
Askars rouses Bajen fans vs Syrianska
Freshmen of the year - Syrianska!
Complete name: Syrianska FC
Funded: 1977
Supporters: Gefe fans, Ultras 77
Location: Södertälje
Famous players: Not really, however the few Hammarby fans or the ones in the know might remember Suleyman “Sulan” Sleyman, who served the club for 10 years before returning to Syrianska in 2008. Oh, and Sharbel Tuoma (played for both Twente and Mönchengladbach) is originally from Syrianska, and returned to them in 2010 after a very short, second stint with Djurgården.
Head coach: Özcan Melkemichel
Official page: Syrianska FC
Home arena: Södertälje Fotbollsarena (6400)
Kits:
Players:
Syrianska Supporters in Superettan premiere
Elfsborg
Complete name: IF Elfsborg
Funded: 1904
Supporters: Guliganerna, Gamla Elfsborgare, Yellow Fanatics, Gulsvarta Själar
Location: Borås
Famous Players: Anders "Taco-Anders" Svensson, Tobias Linderoth, Fredrik Berglund etc
Head coach: Magnus Haglund
Official page: IF Elfsborg
Fun fact: Elfsborg has by far been the most successful Swedish team in Europe in recent years. The club qualified for the Champions League in 07 for the upcoming 07/08 season. They got to the third and final qualifying round where they faced off with Spanish side Valencia CF where they would eventually crash out. First leg away was a 3-0 defeat, and the returning home leg was a 2-1 defeat.
Home arena: Borås Arena (16 894)
Kits:
Players:
Elfsborg supporters vs BK Häcken
So, now that we’re done with that, I guess I’ll go on what everybody’s waited for - the Swedish national team!
SWEDEN NT
Complete name: The Swedish National Team
Nickname: most commonly Blågult (Blue-yellow, as directly translated)
Funded: 1908
Head coach: Erik Hamrén
Captain: Zlatan Ibrahimović
Vice Captain: Anders Svensson
FIFA Ranking: (as of February 2011) 29
Noteable (active) + (retired) players: Zlatan Ibrahimović, Thomas Ravelli, Olof Mellberg, Kennet Andersson, Henrik Larsson, Fredrik Ljungberg, Marcus Allbäck, Tomas Brolin etc
Most capped: Thomas Ravelli (143)
Most capped (active): Anders Svensson (113)
Most goals: Sven Rydell (49)
Most goals (active): Zlatan Ibrahimović (25)
Fun fact: These stats may look pretty impressive, but then you should have a look at the stats for Sweden's flawless ladies. Most capped player ever for Sweden is Therese Sjögran who is still active! She's played for us a hopping 167 times. Most goals from the ladies is held by the icon Hanna Ljungberg who's scored 72 times in total, and who was active from 1996 to 2008!
Other: Sweden has participated in a total of 11 world cups (men), and in 6 women's world cups. We've held in one, back in 1958, which was won by Brazil, and were best placed that year too, coming in second after a final loss to the Brazilians which ended 5-2. Sweden have collected 2 bronze medals over the years, the first coming in 1950, and the second in 1994 in which amongst others, Henke Larsson was in the squad for. We also scored the most goals there.
Home arena: Råsunda
Kits:
players:
mini picspam tyfyt