Sweden History
A reputation
for success
Great footballers are now almost as significant an export as Volvo cars and the
music of ABBA in Sweden - a nation which has quietly built up an excellent
reputation in international football.
Host nation
Hosts of the FIFA World Cup in 1958 and the UEFA European Championship in 1992,
Sweden has been at the heart of international football for some time, and it is
no coincidence that UEFA President Lennart Johansson calls the country home.
Footballing pioneers
One of the co-founders of FIFA in 1904, the Swedish Football Association did not
officially make the break from the governing body which joined it together with
hockey until 1906, but there was much to celebrate on 12 July that year as
Sweden won their first international game 11-3 against neighbours Norway.
Grim results
However, the mood darkened considerably in the subsequent 1908 Olympic
campaign as Sweden lost 12-1 to England and 2-0 to the Netherlands, and things
had barely improved by 1913 when Sweden played home and away friendly games
against Denmark, losing 8-0 in Copenhagen and 10-0 in Stockholm.
Successful campaign
It was a surprise, then, that Sweden fared so well in their first FIFA World Cup
campaign in 1934, beating Argentina 3-2 on the way to a 2-1 quarter-final defeat
against Germany. Their 1938 campaign was even more impressive as Sweden reached
the semi-finals, only to lose out to Hungary.
Olympic gold
After the second world war, things continued to go well, and Sweden were able to
celebrate winning the 1948 Olympic gold medal after beating Yugoslavia 3-1 in
England. More honours were to follow as a Swedish side composed entirely of
amateur players scooped the bronze medal at the 1950 World Cup in Brazil.
Home soil
They were to improve on that finish on home soil in 1958, as English coach
George Raynor led them to the final of a tournament renowned for the superb
level of organisation, where they were beaten 5-2 by Brazil. A 3-2 win against
England at Wembley the following year was to prove Sweden's success was no
fluke.
Supporting role
Reaching the quarter-finals of the UEFA European Championship in 1964 was one of
the few highlights of subsequent campaigns, and while Sweden played at the 1970,
1974, 1978 and 1990 World Cup finals, they were to be little more than
spectators.
New force
In the end, it took hosting the 1992 European Championships to waken Sweden from
their slumber, and in a tournament full of surprises, they reached the
semi-finals to alert the world to the fact that, with the likes of Thomas Brolin,
Kennet Anderson and Martin Dahlin, there was a fine team in the making. The
World Cup finals of 1994 were to hammer that point home, as Sweden shocked the
world by romping to the semi-finals in the United States, eventually taking the
bronze medal.
Hope undiminished
Subsequent tournaments were to prove something of a let-down - Sweden failed
to qualify for EURO '96™ and the 1998 World Cup, and bowed out of the finals of
UEFA EURO 2000™ without a win to their name. However, they prospered under
coaches Tommy Söderberg and Lars Lagerbäck at the 2002 World Cup, and the likes
of Fredrik Ljungberg, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Olof Mellberg will be itching for
action at UEFA EURO 2004™.
Country Info
Free to succeed
AREA: 449,964 sq km
POPULATION: 8,878,085
NEIGHBOURS: Denmark, Finland, Norway
LANGUAGES: Swedish
CAPITAL CITY: Stockholm
Famous in the Medieval world for the brutality of the Vikings, Sweden's subsequent development would see the nation revived as a liberal state with a strong reputation for civility.
Major players
The story of Swedish football is arguably not dissimilar, as the nation emerged
from years of ignominy on the margins of Europe to become major players on the
international footballing stage.
Viking notoriety
The region covered by modern Sweden had long been occupied before the Viking
raiders of the first millennium put the nation firmly on the European map.
Swedish craft
Famous for their seamanship and unparalleled brutality, the pagan raiders
struck terror deep into Europe, and were active deep into Russia. However, they
were also a literate population, now famous for their works of literature and
craftwork.
Modern liberalism
United with Norway and Denmark to form the Union of Kalmar, Sweden went it
alone again following a rebellion in 1523, and as the Swedish monarchy declined,
the nation grew into a strong industrialised country which grew, in the course
of the 20th century, into a wealthy nation committed to a strong welfare state.
Footballing development
In footballing terms, Sweden was one of FIFA's founder members in 1904 but
it did not really rise to international renown until they took footballing gold
at the 1948 Olympics and hosted the 1958 FIFA World Cup finals - a tournament
which saw Brazil's Pelé emerge as a superstar.
Modern success
Things went quiet again until Sweden played host to the finals of EURO '92,
reaching the semi-finals as the national team began to make good use of the
experience they were gaining playing in Europe's biggest leagues.
Flying the flag
Third place at the 1994 FIFA World Cup finals marked another high point, and
with Swedish players continuing to thrive all over Europe, Sweden are poised to
fight Scandinavia's corner again at UEFA EURO 2004™.
Today year 2004 Sweden team
Player name list
 |
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Group C | |||||||
| PLD | W | D | L | GS | GA | PTS | |
|
Sweden |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
|
Bulgaria |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
|
Denmark |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
|
Italy |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |