Surprise championship story in the Swedish League!

Mjallby, the team from Hallevik, a village of 800 people on the Baltic Sea coast, has collected 63 points in the Swedish 1st Football League (Allsvenskan). Mjallby, who have only been defeated once this season and are on their way to the points record in the 101-year history of the league, are on the eve of a fairytale championship.

Mjallby, the football team of an 800-strong fishing village, will claim its first league title if it wins away to Gothenburg on October 20 after the national break. Mjallby will also be crowned champions if league runners-up Hammarby fail to win.

TEACHER, POSTMAN AND FISHERMAN IN THE SQUAD

Founded in 1939, the club competed for 13 seasons in Sweden's top football league, Allsvenskan, where it made its first appearance in 1980. 9 years ago, Mjallby was on the verge of being relegated to the fourth league, but now they are chasing a historic championship. The president is a school principal, the technical director is a teacher, the scout is a postman, the players in the team are from various professions, especially fishermen, and the sporting director is a man who has beaten cancer twice.

'PEASANT' TEAM STARTED FROM SCRATCH

The Swedish team, which has 5 foreign players in a squad of mostly local players, is on the verge of a rare championship.

Mjallby, who have lost only one game this season, are also on the verge of breaking the record for the most points in the 101-year history of the league.

Sporting director Hasse Larsson is one of the names at the start of Mjallby's historic championship. The 2-time cancer survivor told The Guardian that he went three years without a salary in 2016 when the club was at rock bottom financially. Larsson, who survived a brain tumor and prostate cancer, said: "We started from scratch and we had to find people to support us. We survived those difficult days with those who believed in us. We fought until the end and today's picture is clear."

Technical director Anders Torstensson stated that the fans of big city teams called them "peasants" and said, "Maybe they underestimated us for a few years. But now I can say that everyone is really impressed. We are proud to be a small club and region. This is what keeps us going. Being called villagers was a great source of motivation for us."

IN THE CHAMPIONS LEAGUE IN THE NEW SEASON

This success story from a modest fishing village is set to go down in European football history as a modern fairy tale. Mjallby, which 9 years ago was on the verge of being relegated to the fourth division, will play in the UEFA Champions League qualifiers if it becomes champion and will also play a European cup match for the first time in its history in the 2026-27 season.