Europe’s economics are changing for Swedish clubs
Johan Esk’s recent reflections on Swedish football hit a familiar nerve: is the dream of Europe really worth the price tag it carries for a club that wants to win the Allsvenskan? As Mjällby AIF closes in on what could be a historic league title, the rest of the chasing pack watches closely, not just to chase the crown but to measure the cost of a European foray. The old assumption was simple: reach Europe, you grow revenue, you lift the club. But in today’s reality, the “zero-sum” nature of European campaigns can consume resources that might otherwise fuel a domestic title push.
Mjällby’s near-gold and the cost of Europe
Anders Torstensson, the soon-to-be Mjällby coach, offered a blunt view that echoes across many clubs: if you can’t survive a few European rounds, you risk turning a potential windfall into a net loss. In his words, “if you don’t survive a few rounds, it’s largely a zero-sum game.” That means a club that crashes out early can find itself paying more for the European journey than the payoff is worth. The argument isn’t that Europe is unimportant; it’s that the price of admission—in players, salaries, and depth—must be weighed against the chance of earning a deep run.
From scarcity to strategy: the Hammarby way
The article highlights how Hammarby IF (Bajen) has reframed the problem by building value inside the squad: identify talents, develop them, and profit when they are sold at a premium. This “truppvärde” approach has become a cornerstone of Bajen’s financial and sporting strategy. The club’s openness to selling young players at the right moment has funded a more compact, sharper squad while keeping a path to real domestic success open. The piece notes a key milestone: the 2023 sale of Otto and Noah Persson to Malmö FF and Young Boys, which injected margins that helped stabilize the club’s finances. Noah Persson’s return to Swedish football the following season—and his aim to win gold with Hammarby—illustrates the delicate balance between development and competition.
Hammarby’s leadership has also faced the temptation to chase Europe, especially after a season when a strong squad was built around players who could command high transfer fees. Yet the article argues that a careful mix, rather than a Europe-first gamble, has kept the club on a steady course. The strategy is not to shun Europe, but to ensure that any European bid does not derail the Allsvenskan campaign or force a perpetual cycle of expensive signings.
The costs of a two-front fight and different paths for the contenders
Two clubs, two realities. Malmö FF can fund a two-front struggle, but even they are not immune to the drawbacks of juggling domestic and European campaigns. A bruising season where fatigue and injuries pile up is a common consequence when a team stretches itself across leagues. Hammarby, by contrast, has tried to keep the squad lean enough to be competitive on both fronts without drowning in commitments. The result? A safer domestic platform that protects the timetable for a genuine title challenge, while still keeping an eye on Europe as a long‑term, value-driven objective.
Voices from the trenches: transfer policy and future proofing
The debate around Europe has drawn strong opinions from managers and sports chiefs. Anders Torstensson’s emphasis on sustainable planning sits beside Jesper Jansson’s insistence that selling players should support wins on the pitch, not merely a balance sheet. Now at IFK Göteborg, Jansson has spoken about the risk of turning transfers into the focal point at the expense of results. “There was a discussion about selling players versus playing in Europe, but that can’t be the guiding principle,” he said. “If you play in Europe, you have won matches and earned money—the aim should be to win more matches.”
Looking ahead to 2026: a long game with a shorter Allsvenskan season
With a World Cup year on the horizon, the Allsvenskan calendar is expected to tighten and the schedule to compress. The combination of an extended off-season and a packed year afterward makes it more challenging to chase both domestic glory and European qualification. The piece suggests that a misstep or a delayed rise in the European race could paradoxically unlock stronger Allsvenskan opportunities for 2026. For clubs like Hammarby, this might mean recalibrating once again: preserve health, keep the squad value high, and seize the moment when the opportunity to win the league presents itself, even if that means stepping back from Europe for a season if that’s what the title demands.
In the end, the question remains: is Europe truly worth the price tag for every Swedish club? The answer may not be a simple yes or no. It could be a nuanced strategy, where the emphasis on developing and selling talent goes hand in hand with a disciplined pursuit of domestic glory. If Bajen and their peers can master that balance, the coming years could still be gold for Swedish football.
