The surprise is complete: the village club Mjällby AIF has beaten the country’s big clubs and is Swedish champion.
No one had doubted the championship for a long time. Since Monday evening, it has been certain: thanks to a 2-0 away win at IFK Göteborg, Mjällby AIF is Swedish champion – with three match days still to go in the Allsvenskan, whose schedule is based on the calendar year. Center forward Bergström set the decisive victory in motion with a bicycle kick goal from close range (21st minute), and shortly thereafter, center back Pettersson, who had moved up, scored the second goal following a corner kick, which was also the final score (28th minute).
After the final whistle, the players celebrated with the fans who had traveled with them, some of whom wanted to run onto the pitch but were held back by security personnel. That didn’t dampen the joy: the club from the small fishing village in the south of the country is Swedish champions for the first time.
Hammarby with no theoretical chance
Runners-up Hammarby IF can no longer catch up, even theoretically, as they are now eleven points behind. In practical terms, hardly anyone had expected them to do so anyway. The underdogs had been too consistent and too stable throughout the season. Mjällby lost only one game in the entire season, and coach Anders Torstensson’s team was more secure defensively than any other: Mjällby conceded just 17 goals in 27 games – only one in the last seven games.
Nevertheless, the first championship in the club’s history comes as a surprise. In its history, Mjällby had never finished higher than fifth in the Swedish top flight. Until now, the club’s greatest successes were two championships in the second division and reaching the cup final in 2023. In 2016, the club almost got relegated to the fourth division. Under the leadership of 36-year-old club director Jacob Lennartsson, the club has stabilized in the middle of the league in recent years – and has now pulled off a major coup.
Now it’s on to the Champions League qualifiers
The club from the fishing village with a population of just 1,379 has thus outsmarted the established Swedish big clubs. Malmö FF, which has won eight of the last twelve championships, is currently only in fourth place, and other top clubs such as Hammarby, Djurgardens, and Häcken, all of which have squads with significantly higher market values, were unable to compete with the underdog from the wilderness, which plays its home games in the nearest large town in front of a maximum of 7,500 spectators—more than five times the number of people living in the village.
As champions, Mjällby will be able to participate in the Champions League qualifiers next season – the next milestone for the village club. Mjällby has never played an international match before.