On Friday afternoon, the draw for the group stage of the UEFA Europa League and UEFA Conference League was held. For the first time ever, Sweden has three clubs that have made it this far in the tournaments. This achievement needs to be repeated more often if Sweden is to reach the coveted 15th place in UEFA’s league ranking.
“Sweden had an incredibly strong qualifying performance this summer, with three of our clubs reaching the new group stage, and BK Häcken also gave Bundesliga team Heidenheim a tough match. Thanks to these performances, we are among the better countries in the entire qualification process, which is obviously very gratifying,” says Svante Samuelsson, Sports Director at Swedish Professional Football Leagues.
Malmö FF has been drawn to face Rangers FC (Scotland), Olympiacos (Greece), Galatasaray (Turkey), and Twente (Netherlands) at home, while Slavia Prague (Czech Republic), Ferencváros (Hungary), Qarabag (Azerbaijan), and Besiktas (Turkey) await them away.
IF Elfsborg will play AS Roma (Italy), SC Braga (Portugal), Qarabag (Azerbaijan), and OGC Nice (France) at Borås Arena, while Tottenham (England), AZ Alkmaar (Netherlands), Galatasaray (Turkey), and Athletic Club (Spain) are their away opponents.
“These are exactly the kind of performances we need over time to be able to move up the UEFA ranking. It’s extremely positive that this has happened this summer, but to reach 15th place or higher and get more clubs into Europe, perhaps even gaining direct spots in the tournaments, we must repeat these efforts year after year.”
For Djurgården, the Conference League awaits, with home matches against Legia Warsaw (Poland), Vitória SC (Portugal), and Panathinaikos (Greece), as well as away matches against LASK Linz (Austria), The New Saints (Wales), and Vikingur (Iceland).
“It’s obviously difficult to win matches in the group stage, especially in the Europa League, but I believe the Swedish teams will have good opportunities to earn points in several of the matches,” concludes Svante Samuelsson.
The Road There
IF Elfsborg and Malmö FF joins the group stage of the UEFA Europa League. IF Elfsborg reached this stage by defeating Norwegian side Molde FK in the playoff round. Both legs ended 0-1 after regular time, and Thursday’s return leg in Borås went all the way to a penalty shootout, where IF Elfsborg triumphed in front of their home crowd.
Defending Swedish champions Malmö FF initially qualified for the UEFA Champions League, reaching the playoff against Czech side Sparta Prague. Sparta Prague won the tie, which resulted in Malmö FF being awarded a place in the UEFA Europa League instead.
Djurgården qualified for the UEFA Conference League and reached the playoff round, where they were drawn against Slovenian side MK Maribor. Djurgården won both matches 1-0, securing their spot in the UEFA Conference League once again.
The strong qualifying summer of Swedish teams has helped Sweden advance five places in UEFA’s league ranking, now sitting in 24th place. With three teams in the group stage, there are good opportunities to continue moving up.
Malmö FF’s upcoming opponents in the UEFA Europa League:
At home:
- Rangers FC (Scotland)
- Olympiacos (Greece)
- Galatasaray (Turkey)
- Twente (Netherlands)
Away:
- Slavia Prague (Czech Republic)
- Ferencváros (Hungary)
- Qarabag (Azerbaijan)
- Besiktas (Turkey)
IF Elfsborg’s upcoming opponents in the UEFA Europa League:
At home:
- AS Roma (Italy)
- SC Braga (Portugal)
- Qarabag (Azerbaijan)
- OGC Nice (France)
Away:
- Tottenham (England)
- AZ Alkmaar (Netherlands)
- Galatasaray (Turkey)
- Athletic Club (Spain)
Djurgården’s upcoming opponents in the UEFA Conference League:
At home:
- Legia Warsaw (Poland)
- Vitória SC (Portugal)
- Panathinaikos (Greece)
Away:
- LASK Linz (Austria)
- The New Saints (Wales)
- Vikingur (Iceland)
UEFA League Ranking Facts: The league ranking is based on the last five seasons of European competition. The higher a league’s ranking, the more opportunities it has to qualify more teams for European tournaments or to start the qualification at a later stage. Reaching 15th place or higher means more teams qualify for the Champions League.
UEFA League Ranking as of August 2024:
- 22. Slovakia 21.250
- Hungary 21.000
- Sweden 20.000
- Cyprus 19.175
- Azerbaijan 19.127
Sweden’s points over the last five years, which form the basis for the total ranking:
- 2020/2021: 2.500 (No team in group stage)
- 2021/2022: 5.125 (Malmö FF in Champions League group stage)
- 2022/2023: 6.250 (Malmö FF and Djurgården in group stage – Djurgården advanced to knockout stage)
- 2023/2024: 1.875 (BK Häcken in Europa League group stage)
- 2024/2025: 4.250 (Malmö FF and IF Elfsborg in Europa League group stage, Djurgården in Conference League group stage)
