sport
Stockholm Clubs Pack Record Crowds Into Strawberry Arena and 3Arena
Home sides from the capital continue to pack venues that have hosted national and club fixtures for more than a decade.
How we reported this
Strawberry Arena has served as the main home for the Swedish men’s national football team since 2012, when the side opened the ground with a 4-2 win over England in front of 49 967 spectators.
The arrangement places three Stockholm clubs at the heart of the city’s match-day routine. AIK Fotboll, Djurgårdens IF and Hammarby Fotboll all stage their Allsvenskan fixtures inside the same two arenas that also host national-team games and ice-hockey matches, giving residents repeated opportunities to watch local sides without leaving the capital.
Football sides anchor community routines
AIK Fotboll has played its home matches at Strawberry Arena for more than ten years and has collected twelve Swedish Championship titles, the most recent in 2018. Djurgårdens IF moved its football section to 3Arena in July 2013 after the club’s first match there drew 27 789 fans; the side, founded in 1899, holds twelve championship wins. Hammarby Fotboll followed a month later, opening its new home on 20 July 2013 against Örgryte IF with an attendance of 29 175. The club, established in 1915, secured its sole Swedish title in 2001. These long-standing tenancies mean supporters can follow three distinct club identities at venues that sit within easy reach of central Stockholm.
The shared calendar strengthens everyday connections between the clubs and their neighbourhoods. Families and groups of friends often attend both midweek national-team fixtures and weekend league matches at the same sites, turning the arenas into regular meeting points rather than occasional destinations.
Hockey clubs extend the year-round presence
Djurgården Hockey, formed in 1922, has used Hovet and Avicii Arena since 1955 and last claimed the Swedish title in 2001 after six straight championships between 1958 and 1963. AIK Hockey, started in 1921, has played at the same two rinks since 1962 and captured seven national titles, the last in the 1983-84 season. The overlapping schedules keep the venues active from autumn through spring, giving Stockholm residents a continuous programme of local sport that spans both codes.
Stockholm Live lists the current home arrangements for all six teams on its site at https://stockholmlive.com/en/about-us/our-home-teams/. Supporters can check upcoming dates there or on the clubs’ own pages to plan visits and join the regular match-day crowds that fill the capital’s arenas.