Malmö FF, IF Elfsborg, BK Häcken and Djurgården qualify for Europe this summer and will try to improve Sweden’s position in the UEFA league rankings. Here are all the prerequisites.
As reigning Swedish champions, Malmö FF will qualify for the UEFA Champions League this summer. IF Elfsborg qualifies for the UEFA Europa League, while BK Häcken (third in Allsvenskan 2023) and Djurgården (fourth in Allsvenskan 2023) qualify for the UEFA Europa Conference League. The place for the qualification in the Europa League actually goes to the winner of the Swedish Cup, but IF Elfsborg gets the place as the second place in the Allsvenskan 2023 because Malmö FF, already qualified for the Champions League, won the Swedish Cup.
Sweden is currently ranked 24 in UEFA’s league ranking. A position that can be improved primarily if Sweden gets more than one club team in one of the European tournaments.
– For us, the European Games is very important. From a league ranking perspective, the goal is for Sweden and the Allsvenskan to be ranked higher than where we are today. For that, at least two clubs are required in an international group stage every year, which is not at all impossible. Our clubs take this very seriously and are good enough to qualify for the group stage. A lot also depends on the opposition you are up against and it is a big advantage to be in the seeded half of the qualifying game, says Svante Samuelsson, sports manager at Swedish Elite Football.
240428 Malmö FF’s Isaac Kiese Thelin and Erik Botheim celebrate after 2-0 during the soccer match in the Allsvenskan between Malmö FF and AIK on April 28, 2024 in Malmö. Photo: Petter Arvidson / BILDBYRÅN / code PA / PA0799
For Malmö FF, the qualifiers for the UEFA Champions League will be drawn on June 19. MFF enter the second qualifying round, Q2, and are seeded.
Should Malmö FF advance in the qualifiers, then Q3 awaits in the Champions League and then possibly a playoff to the group stage. If they lose in Q2 to the Champions League, the club gets another chance in Q3 in the qualification for the UEFA Europa League, and if they win the playoff for the group stage. If you lose in the Europa League qualifiers, another chance awaits, then in the UEFA Europa Conference League, either in the playoffs or in the group stage, depending on when you go out.
240429 Elfsborg’s players celebrate after the football match in the Allsvenskan between Elfsborg and Sirius on April 29, 2024 in Borås. Photo: Jörgen Jarnberger / BILDBYRÅN / COP 112 / JJ0363
On June 18, IF Elfsborg will be drawn into Q1 of the UEFA Europa League. In case of victory there, Q2 awaits in the same tournament, while loss means a new chance in Q2 to the UEFA Europa Conference League instead.
On June 19, BK Häcken and Djurgården will be drawn into the second qualifying round for the UEFA Europa Conference League. When playing in Q2 in the UEFA Europa Conference League, Q3 in the same tournament awaits in the event of a win, while it is play-off in the event of a loss.
240424 Häcken’s Marius Lode celebrates after the soccer match in the Allsvenskan between IFK Gothenburg and Häcken on April 24, 2024 in Gothenburg. Photo: Mathias Bergeld / BILDBYRÅN / code MB / MI0656
In order to enter a group stage, a win in a playoff in one of the tournaments is required.
All Swedish clubs that qualify for Europe receive a share of Unibet’s European Fund, which exists to help the clubs reach a group stage in Europe.
240408 Djurgården’s Tokmac Nguen celebrates after 2-3 during the soccer match in the Allsvenskan between Djurgården and Häcken on April 8, 2024 in Stockholm. Photo: Jesper Zerman / BILDBYRÅN / code JZ / JZ0511
Important dates:
June 18: Draw Q1 Europa League
June 19: Draw Q2 Champions League, Q2 Europa League and Q2 Europa Conference League
11 juli: Q1 Europa League
July 18: Q1 Europa Leauge
July 22: Draw Q3 Champions League, Europa League and Europa Conference League
July 23-24: Q2 Champions League
25 juli: Q2 Europa League och Q2 Europa Conference League
July 30-31: Q2 Champions League
1 augusti: Q2 Europa League och Q2 Europa Conference League
August 5: Draw playoff Champions League, Europa League and Europa Conference League
6-7 augusti: Q3 Champions League
8 augusti: Q3 Europa League och Q3 Europa Conference League
13 augusti: Q3 Champions League
15 augusti: Q3 Europa League och Q3 Europa Conference League
20-21 augusti: Playoff Champions League
August 22: Playoff Europa League and Europa Conference League
27-28 augusti: Playoff Champions League
August 29: Playoff Europa League and Europa Conference League
August 29: Champions League group stage draw
August 30: Draw group stage Europa League and Europa Conference League
Facts UEFA league ranking:
The league ranking is based on the last five seasons of play in Europe. The higher the ranking of a league, the greater the opportunity to include more teams in the European qualifiers or to start the qualifiers at a later stage. Place 15 and above means more teams qualify for the Champions League.
UEFA:s league ranking May 2024:
22. Cyprus 22.100
23. Hungary 21,875
24. Sweden 21,500
25. Romania 21,375
26. Bulgaria 20,375
Sweden’s score in the past five years, which is the basis for the total:
2019/2020: 5,750 (Malmö FF advanced from EL group stage – knocked out by Wolfsburg)
2020/2021: 2,500 (No team in group stage)
2021/2022: 5,125 (Malmö FF into the Champions League group stage)
2022/2023: 6,250 (Malmö FF and Djurgården to group stage – Djurgården further to playoffs)
2023/2024: 1,875 (BK Häcken to group stage in the Europa League)
