Between them, hockey, football and bandy fill the whole Swedish year. Here is which one is on when you visit, where the big-city teams play, how to buy a ticket, and what gets you through the gate.
When you need this
You’re planning a weekend in Stockholm, Gothenburg or Malmö and want to see what’s on. You want a very Swedish winter evening, either indoor hockey or an outdoor bandy match under floodlights. You’ve found the club site and it’s all in Swedish. Or you’re at the gate with a backpack and a wallet full of kronor, and you’re wondering if either will get you in.
Which sport, which month
| Sport | League | Season | Where it’s played |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ice hockey | SHL (14 teams) | Mid-September to mid-March, then playoffs into May | Indoor arenas |
| Football | Allsvenskan (16 teams) | Early April to late November | Stadiums, open-air |
| Bandy | Elitserien (14 teams) | Mid-October to the final in March | Mostly outdoors |
The 2026/27 SHL season opens on 19 September 2026 and the regular season ends on 16 March 2027. The playoffs follow, and in 2026 the last games were played on 2 May. Allsvenskan’s 2026 season started on the weekend of 4–5 April and runs into late November.
Bandy is the one most visitors haven’t heard of. It’s Sweden’s winter team sport: eleven players a side on an ice field the size of a football pitch, with a small ball and curved sticks. Elitserien 2026/27 opens on 16 October. The traditional big round is annandagsbandy on Boxing Day, 26 December, and the final weekend is in March. In 2026 it was played indoors at ABB Arena in Västerås on 13–14 March.
Where to watch in Stockholm, Gothenburg and Malmö
| City | Football (Allsvenskan) | Hockey (SHL) | Bandy |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stockholm | AIK at Strawberry Arena (Solna); Djurgården and Hammarby at 3Arena; IF Brommapojkarna | Djurgården at Hovet, some home games at Avicii Arena | Hammarby at the outdoor Zinkensdamms IP |
| Gothenburg | IFK Göteborg, GAIS and Örgryte at Gamla Ullevi; BK Häcken at Bravida Arena | Frölunda at Scandinavium | — |
| Malmö | Malmö FF at Eleda Stadion | Malmö Redhawks at Malmö Arena | — |
Bandy’s heartland is mid-Sweden: Västerås, Sandviken, Edsbyn and Bollnäs. In Gothenburg, the city company Got Event runs Ullevi, Gamla Ullevi and Scandinavium. More on the cities themselves: Stockholm, Gothenburg and Malmö.
Buying tickets: how to do it step by step
There’s no national box office. Each home club sells its own tickets.
- Pick the sport by month using the table above.
- Find the home club’s fixture and ticket link. Djurgården and AIK sell through the Stockholm Live/AXS system at the big Stockholm arenas. Malmö FF uses mff.ebiljett.nu, and IFK Göteborg its own account system. National-team matches are sold by the Swedish FA through AXS or Tickster.
- Choose your section. Family sections, such as AIK’s Söd and Malmö FF’s Södra små, are calm and cheaper for children. The home supporter end is standing, loud and the most heavily searched.
- Check your ticket type. Child, youth, student and member tickets require you to fit the category, and you may be asked for ID at the gate.
- Download the ticket. Big-club tickets are digital, in the club or ticket app, and you can transfer them to a friend there.
- Pack for the gate: a card or phone wallet, ID, and at most a small soft bag.
- Arrive early. At AIK’s 2026 opener the gates opened 90 minutes before kick-off, and the supporter-end search takes time.
- Once inside, stay inside. There is no re-entry.
Club sites are often Swedish only. Look for Biljetter (tickets), Köp biljett (buy ticket) and familjeläktare (family stand). Skip the street resellers: club apps let holders pass on tickets legitimately, so an unofficial one may already have been scanned.
Getting in: bags, cash and ID
Bags. At Strawberry Arena only soft bags up to 40×40×20 cm get in. A 30-litre daypack doesn’t. These rules follow the national terror threat level. Larger events banned bags entirely from November 2023, and the ban eased in June 2025 when the threat level dropped to 3 of 5. They can tighten again, so check the club’s matchinformation or supporterinfo page on the day.
Banned items. At the Stockholm Live arenas you can’t bring outside food and drink, glass bottles, cans, thermoses, fireworks, weapons, large umbrellas or folding chairs.
Cash. The Stockholm Live arenas and Strawberry Arena are cash-free, so the kiosk takes cards and phone wallets only. See cash in Sweden for why that’s normal here.
ID and “personal tickets.” In March 2025 the police demanded personal, ID-linked tickets for every Allsvenskan spectator from the 2026 season. That’s still widely reported as if it were in force. It isn’t: Djurgården’s 2026 terms say plainly that a seat “is not personal,” and IFK Göteborg ties only member-discounted season tickets to the holder. You can still buy for friends. But bring your passport or EU ID card anyway. It covers a youth or student ticket check, IFK Göteborg’s rule that season-ticket holders show ID on request, and the beer queue. See carrying ID in Sweden.
Warning: Once your ticket is scanned, leaving cancels it. Step out for a smoke or to the car and you’re not getting back in.
The law in the stands
The Public Order Act (ordningslagen) has a whole chapter on sports events. It applies at any enclosed place mainly intended for sport while a public event is on, so every league arena counts.
- Pyrotechnics: you may not carry or use them at a sports event without police permission. The club’s own pre-match show has a permit. The flares in the supporter end don’t.
- The field: you may not enter the playing area or throw anything onto it.
- Masks: you may not cover your face, wholly or partly, in a way that makes identification harder. Religious, work, weather and health reasons are exempt, so a scarf over your nose at a January bandy game is fine.
- Penalty: fines or up to six months in prison for deliberate breaches.
A conviction can also lead to an arena ban (tillträdesförbud) of up to three years, and breaking that ban is a separate offence with the same penalty range.
A 2025 government inquiry proposed five-year bans and up to two years in prison for serious pyrotechnics offences. When we checked, that hadn’t become law: the ban act still holds the three-year maximum.
Warning: A flare is not a souvenir. Carrying one into the ground is an offence even if you never light it, and an arena ban is the likely follow-up.
Beer at the game
The arena bar follows the Alcohol Act. Licensed venues may serve anyone 18 or over. They may not serve anyone who is noticeably drunk, and you can’t carry a served drink out of the licensed area. Folköl (beer up to 3.5%) needs only a notification to the municipality, while stronger drinks need a full serving licence. That’s why what’s on offer, and where you may drink it, varies by arena and match: some venues keep stronger drinks to restaurants and lounges. For the wider picture, see Swedish drinking culture.
Families and away fans
- Children on a lap ride free, but the age limit is set by each club: up to 6 at Djurgården, under 6 at IFK Göteborg, up to 5 at Malmö FF.
- Family sections are the low-stress choice, and hockey is the safest winter bet: indoors, two intermissions and short trips from the city centre.
- Accessible seating is booked through the ticket system. At Hovet a companion gets in free.
- Away supporters have their own section and entrance. The visiting club usually distributes those tickets, and that entrance gets a full search.
- Colours matter. AIK doesn’t accept other teams’ shirts in its North Stand. Don’t wear the away shirt in a home end.
- For atmosphere, go to a Stockholm derby or a playoff game, book early, and sit in a family or neutral section.
- Going to outdoor bandy? Dress for hours below freezing, like a winter walk rather than a cinema. Hammarby’s sold-out Boxing Day game at Zinkensdamm drew 7,410 people. See Sweden in winter.
Practical information
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Tickets | From the home club or its ticket partner. Prices aren’t published here because they vary by club, section and match. |
| Children on a lap | Free up to 5 or 6 years, depending on the club |
| Ticket transfer | Free in IFK Göteborg’s account; in-app at Djurgården (Stockholm Live/AXS) |
| Bags (Strawberry Arena, 2026) | Soft, max 40×40×20 cm |
| Payment | Cashless at the Stockholm Live arenas and Strawberry Arena |
| Pyrotechnics, field invasion, masking | Fines or up to six months in prison |
| Breaking an arena ban | Fines or up to six months in prison |
| 2026/27 dates | SHL 19 Sep 2026 – 16 Mar 2027, then playoffs · bandy from 16 Oct 2026, final in March · Allsvenskan April – late November |
FAQ
How do I buy tickets for a hockey or football game in Sweden?
Buy from the home club. Every SHL and Allsvenskan club sells its own tickets through its website or app, usually via a ticket partner such as AXS for the big Stockholm arenas. Tickets are digital and sit in the app. Avoid street resellers: club apps let holders transfer tickets to friends legitimately, so an unofficial ticket may already have been used.
Do I need ID to go to a football game in Sweden?
Not for an ordinary ticket in 2026. The police demanded personal, ID-linked tickets for Allsvenskan from the 2026 season, but clubs still sell standard tickets that are not personal. You do need ID for discounted youth, student or member tickets, and to buy a beer if you look young. Carry your passport or EU ID card.
Can you drink beer at Swedish sports games?
Yes, if you are 18 or over and the arena holds a licence. Many arenas serve beer, but what you can buy, and where you may drink it, varies by venue and match. You may not bring your own drinks in, and staff may not serve anyone who is noticeably drunk. The arenas are cashless, so pay by card or phone.
What bags are allowed at Swedish stadiums?
At Strawberry Arena, AIK’s home in Solna, only soft bags up to 40×40×20 cm are allowed; hard or bigger bags are refused. Larger events banned bags entirely from November 2023 until the terror threat level dropped in June 2025, so rules can change again. Check the club’s match information page on the day and travel light.
When is the ice hockey season in Sweden?
The SHL regular season runs from mid-September to mid-March; in 2026/27 it starts on 19 September 2026 and ends on 16 March 2027. The playoffs follow and run into spring — the 2026 playoffs ended on 2 May. Djurgården, Frölunda and Malmö Redhawks are the big-city SHL clubs.
What is bandy and where can I watch it?
Bandy is Sweden’s winter team sport: eleven players a side on a football-sized ice field, with a small ball and curved sticks. Elitserien runs from mid-October to a final in March. Most games are outdoors in mid-Sweden towns like Västerås, Sandviken and Edsbyn; in Stockholm, Hammarby plays at the outdoor Zinkensdamm ground. Dress for serious cold.
Are flares allowed at Swedish football matches?
No. Under the Public Order Act, carrying or using pyrotechnics at a sports event without police permission is a crime, punishable by fines or up to six months in prison. A conviction can also bring an arena ban of up to three years. The flares you see in supporter ends are illegal, not tolerated.
Related guides
- Sweden in winter: hockey and bandy season, and how to dress for it
- Do you have to carry ID in Sweden?: which document works at the gate and the bar
- Swedish drinking culture: what the arena beer queue is part of
- Stockholm: the city around four big arenas
- Gothenburg: the city around Ullevi, Gamla Ullevi and Scandinavium
Facts verified 2026-10-03. Sources: Swedish statute texts from Sveriges Riksdag (Public Order Act, arena-ban act, Alcohol Act), SOU 2025:46, the SHL, Svenska Bandyförbundet, Svenska Fotbollförbundet, and the clubs’ and arena operators’ own 2026 pages. The full register is in this topic’s source file. Found something outdated? Tell us and we’ll fix it.