Malmö FF, IF Elfsborg, and Djurgården have all secured their spots for the international leagues this fall. All three clubs qualified for the new league phase of their respective tournaments.

This summer has been favorable for Swedish teams in Europe. Three teams are entering the new league phase: two in the Europa League and one in the Conference League. After a strong summer performance, Sweden has climbed five places in UEFA’s league ranking, currently sitting at 24th. And there is potential for even more success.

IF Elfsborg will join Malmö FF in the group stage of the UEFA Europa League. This was confirmed after the team from Borås eliminated Norway’s Molde FK in the playoff round. The two-leg tie went all the way to a penalty shootout, where IF Elfsborg ultimately triumphed in front of their home crowd at Borås Arena.

Malmö FF secured their spot in the UEFA Europa League already on Tuesday. The reigning Swedish champions were defeated by Sparta Prague in their playoff for the UEFA Champions League, which automatically granted them a place in the UEFA Europa League.

Djurgården won both of their matches against NK Maribor (2-0 on aggregate) and have once again qualified for the UEFA Conference League.

BK Häcken, the fourth Swedish team in the qualifiers, put up an impressive fight against Germany’s FC Heidenheim but unfortunately lost 3-5 on aggregate in their playoff for the UEFA Conference League. BK Häcken, who reached the group stage of the UEFA Europa League last season, has now concluded their European campaign for this year.

The draw for the group stages of the UEFA Europa League and UEFA Conference League will take place on Friday, August 30.

Three Swedish clubs in European group stages also mean success for Unibet’s Europe Fund. All three clubs will repay 1.5 times the money they received before the summer, which will significantly increase the pot for the coming year, thereby easing the way for clubs qualifying for Europe next time.

UEFA’s League Ranking Facts:

The league ranking is based on the last five seasons of European play. The higher the league’s position, the greater the opportunity to have more teams in European qualifiers or to start qualifying at a later stage. Rankings of 15th place and above mean more teams in the Champions League qualifiers.

Sweden’s Points Over the Last Five Years (which contribute to the total):

  • 2020/2021: 2.500 (No teams in group stage)
  • 2021/2022: 5.125 (Malmö FF in the 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 qualified for Europa League group stage, Djurgården qualified for Conference League group stage)