Just before 4 pm on Sunday afternoon – if there are no delays – the men's Allsvenskan in football may be decided.
If second-place Hammarby then loses or draws against AIK in the Stockholm derby at home, Mjällby will be Swedish champions for the first time in history – the day before IFK Göteborg awaits on the road for the Blekinge team.
"As fun as possible on the bus"
Then the player bus has long since left Strandvallen in Hällevik. The gold jubilation will probably erupt somewhere on the E6 in Halland.
If the gold is now secured on the bus, it's as good as it gets. As long as we manage to take the SM gold, it doesn't matter how. Damn, you can have as much fun as possible on the bus too if that's the case, says team captain Jesper Gustavsson.
Thoughts about it being fun to secure the SM gold in front of the home supporters at little Strandvallen are waved away.
If we lose two matches, we're in shit all of a sudden. Then it gets tough.
It shouldn't be possible for a village with around 1,500 inhabitants to win a top league in football in 2025. The Mjällby captain doesn't quite agree.
I don't think it's as big of an upset as everyone says, says Gustavsson.
Of course, if you look at the size of the village, but we were in the cup final a few years ago (2023), have established ourselves in Allsvenskan, and were fifth last year. It's not like we came up from Superettan to this season and took Allsvenskan by storm.
"Completely magical"
The midfielder has been loyal to Mjällby throughout his entire senior career. It has resulted in over 300 A-team matches – over 70 of them have been played in the third division (division 1 south) during the tough years 2016-2018.
There is joy in the squad, joy in the association, and joy all around. For the time being, it's completely magical to be in Mjällby AIF, says the 30-year-old.
Media from all over the world have reported on the Mjällby phenomenon – TV teams from the USA, British giants like BBC and The Guardian, as well as the American news agency AP.
We have declined many interviews where it has been in English, but it has been a hell of a difference. Previously, it was barely the local newspaper that was here, says Jesper Gustavsson.
With four matches left to play, Mjällby leads the men's Allsvenskan in football, eleven points ahead of second-place Hammarby.
If Hammarby drops points against AIK in the Stockholm derby on Sunday – kick-off at 2:00 pm – at the 3 arena, Mjällby will be Swedish champions in 2025 without playing.
If Hammarby wins, Mjällby will get the chance to secure the SM gold on their own terms away against IFK Göteborg on Monday (kick-off at 7:10 pm).
In such a situation, the Blekinge team must win the match – otherwise, Allsvenskan will continue for at least one more round.
