Sweden consistently competes in major competitions, and the country has produced three of the greatest European strikers in Gunnar Nordahl, Henrik Larsson, and Zlatan Ibrahimović.
It’s safe to say Allsvenskan is a way down the priorities for most fans interested in football betting, however, as the top Swedish players inevitably leave the country to play in Europe’s wealthier leagues.
Biggest Clubs in Swedish Football
-
Malmö FF
-
IFK Göteborg
-
AIK
-
Djurgårdens IF
-
IFK Norrköping
Swedish teams have lifted continental silverware, though, albeit a long time before online betting was accessible.
It’s never an easy away day, even for Europe’s top clubs, given the icy temperatures and physical play. Here are the five biggest Swedish football clubs from fifth to first…
5) IFK Norrköping
With only two league titles since 1963 and having not made the first round of a European competition since the UEFA Cup in 2000-01, IFK Norrköping scrapes into the top five.
Their track record – or lack thereof – in continental competitions counts against Norrköping.
Several of their Allsvenskan peers have made more noise across UEFA’s headline tournaments over the last few decades, which is why it’s impossible to put Norrköping in the top four.
Their competitiveness domestically has also fluctuated since the highs of their 2015 to 2018 run.
Only three teams have lifted the Svenska Cupen more often, yet the Comrades have only reached the final once since 1994, finishing as runners-up to Graham Potter’s Östersunds in 2016-17.
4) Djurgårdens IF
The three teams ranked above Djurgårdens are the only clubs with more top two finishes in Allsvenskan. The Iron Stoves slot in at fourth in these rankings despite placing sixth in the all-time Allsvenskan table.
Champions three times in seven years in the early 2000s, Djurgårdens were also very competitive in the 1960s with four top-two finishes, including two titles, in a six-year period.
The club returned to Allsvenskan glory in 2019 with their first title in 14 years after lifting the Svenska Cupen in 2017-18.
The Conference League has given Djurgårdens a chance to compete on the continental stage. They reached the round of 16 in 2022-23 before losing to Lech Poznan.
In 2024-25, the introduction of the league phase gives the club more matches against teams from around the continent.
Unlike some of their peers, however, Djurgårdens have not had any headline-catching results in the Champions League or Europa League.
The Blue Stripes have never made it past the second round of a major UEFA tournament and have often fallen in the qualifying phase.
3) AIK
Eight-time Svenska Cupen winners and third in the all-time Allsvenskan table, AIK have been a consistent force in Swedish football.
Like any club, there have been peaks and troughs, but the club has notably won league titles in 2009 and 2018 along with six runners-up placings since 2005.
A run to the 1996-97 Cup Winners’ Cup quarter-final and a two-legged tie with Barcelona is the highlight of AIK’s continental adventures.
They last reached the Champions League group stage in 1999 and qualified for the Europa League group stage in 2012-13.
The last 15 years have been pretty consistent for Gnagnet aside from finishing ninth in 2020 and 11th in 2023.
It will be a while before they rival the top two in this category, but AIK are clearly one of Sweden’s three biggest clubs.
2) IFK Göteborg
Göteborg have only won one league title since 1996, but they were runners-up twice in the 2010s and dominated Swedish football throughout the 1990s, including a streak of four consecutive titles.
Champions League semi-finalists in 1993 and quarter-finalists a year later, Göteborg also won two UEFA Cups in the 1980s. Their pedigree in European competition is unmatched in Sweden.
Being also-rans since a fourth-placed finish in 2016 has impacted the club’s reputation somewhat, but their historical success is too significant to ignore when ranking the biggest Swedish football clubs.
After all, they put together four consecutive top-four finishes between 2013 and 2016.
For a long time, Göteborg were clearly the most well-known and biggest club in the country, but they have fallen well off the pace set by Malmö since the turn of the century.
1) Malmö FF
Malmö are 27-time Allsvenskan champions, 16-time cup winners, and lost the European Cup final in 1979.
They might not have the continental silverware of Göteborg, but there’s no question Malmö are Sweden’s biggest club.
They have utterly dominated Swedish football in the 21st century with 10 Allsvenskan titles.
A couple of appearances in the Europa League knockout rounds are a decent achievement by the standards of Scandinavian clubs in the 2010s and 2020s.
Miles clear atop the all-time league table and comfortable the most successful team in the Svenska Cupen, Malmö’s sporting impact goes far beyond being the starting club for Zlatan Ibrahimović.
*Credit for the photos in this article belongs to Adobe*
