Sweden national baseball team
| Sweden national baseball team | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Information | |
| Country |  Sweden |
| Federation | Swedish Baseball and Softball Federation (SBSF) |
| Confederation | WBSC Europe |
| Manager | Björn Johanessen |
| Captain | Peter Johannessen |
| Team Colors | Blue, Yellow, Black |
| WBSC ranking | |
| Current | 34  1 (26 March 2026)[1] |
| Highest | 29 (2 times; latest in 02 November 2023) |
| Lowest | 73 (11 August 2021) |
| Olympic Games | |
| Appearances | 0 |
| World Baseball Classic | |
| Appearances | 0 |
| WBSC Premier12 | |
| Appearances | 0 |
| World Cup | |
| Appearances | 3 (first in 1994) |
| Best result | 15th |
| Intercontinental Cup | |
| Appearances | 0 |
| European Championship | |
| Appearances | 29 (first in 1962) |
| Best result |  3rd (2 times, most recent in 1993) |
| Women's World Cup | |
| Appearances | 0 |
The Sweden national baseball team (Swedish: Sveriges herrlandslag i baseboll) also referred to as "Sverige Vikings" is the national baseball team of Sweden. The team competes in the bi-annual European Baseball Championship, where Sweden on two occasions has claimed the bronze medal.
History
Baseball has been played in Sweden since at least 1904, but it wasn't until 1952 that the first game was played by a national team. In that year Sweden played against Finland and lost, 4–9.
Ten years later Sweden's national federation became members of the Confederation of European Baseball, and the national team took part in its first European Baseball Championship, where Sweden lost all four games by a combined score of 16–55. In the next tournament two years later Sweden managed to win its first ever game in the European Championship, 5–0 over France.
Sweden played its first official game on home soil in 1974, a 9–1 win over Great Britain in the qualifications for the European Championship that were held the following year.
In 1981 Sweden took home bronze at the European Championships in the Netherlands (only four teams took part). This achievement was duplicated in 1993, when Sweden hosted the tournament for the first time.
Sweden played in the World Cup for the first time in 1994 and also participated in 2005 and 2009, but always finished near the bottom. In 2009 Sweden was one of eight host countries.[2]
Technical staff
Managerial history
One of the earliest managers of the Sweden national baseball team was Dr. Bill Arce, an American coach who took the helm when Sweden made its debut at the European Baseball Championship in Amsterdam. He was followed by Willy Wåhlin, a Swedish baseball pioneer and founder of the Solna Baseball Club, who is credited with establishing baseball's foothold in the Stockholm area. During his tenure, Sweden achieved its first-ever European Championship victory, a 5–0 win over France in Milan, Italy.
After a gap in documented records, Roland Bergh guided the Sverige Vikings to a bronze medal at the European Championship, one of the proudest moments in the team's history. Over the years, foreign managers from the United States have also led the team, bringing international expertise to help develop the sport locally. John Tourville guided Sweden in their early World Cup appearances, while Jerry Kindall helped elevate the program's tactical foundations during his tenure.
Peter Schöön and Karl Knutsson continued the domestic tradition, maintaining Sweden's unbroken record of participation in every European Championship since 1962, something no other nation has achieved. Dennis Cook led the team through one of its longest foreign-managed stretches, helping modernize the program. Jonas Holmberg and Rickard Reimer followed, with Jim Sasko notably serving two separate tenures, cementing his legacy as one of the most trusted figures in the federation's history. Reimer also returned for a second term, providing continuity through a challenging period that included the global pandemic.
The current manager, Björn Johannessen, now leads the Sverige Vikings as they compete in the European Baseball Championship. Under both domestic and foreign leadership, Sweden's national baseball team has achieved bronze medal finishes in Europe and competed in the Baseball World Cup three times.
Dr. Bill Arce (1962)[3][4]- Willy Wåhlin (1963–1964)
- Roland Bergh (1993)
- John Tourville (1994–1995)
- Jim Sasko (1997–1999)
- Jerry Kindall (2000–2002)
- Peter Schöön (2003–2005)
- Karl Knutsson (2007–2009)
- Dennis Cook (2010–2014)[5][6]
- Jonas Holmberg (2015–2016)
- Rickard Reimer (2016–2018)[7]
- Jim Sasko (2019–2020)[8]
- Rickard Reimer (2021–2024)[9][10]
- Björn Johannessen (2025–present)[11]
International tournament results
Olympic games
| Summer Olympics record | Qualification | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Host | Round | Position | W | L | RS | RA | |
| 1912 | Sweden | Exhibition only | 0 | 1 | 3 | 13 | ||
Sweden played host to the first ever international exhibition baseball match to be held at the Olympic Games. The players of the Västerås Baseball Club represented their home nation in the game against a team composed of members of the United States Olympic delegation. In addition, three pitchers and a catcher were recruited from the American delegation to help fill the Swedish roster.
Sweden has not succeeded in qualifying during any of the years the sport has been officially included in the Olympics, nor has it participated in any further baseball exhibitions at the Olympics since 1912.
World Cup
Sweden participated in the World Cup on three occasions.
European Baseball Championship
Sweden has participated in the European Baseball Championship on 29 occasions, every time since 1962.
References
- ↑ "WBSC World Rankings". WBSC. 26 March 2026. Retrieved 26 March 2026.
- ↑ Pälviä, Kristian (7 June 2016). "Basebollens historia i Sverige - sedan 1912" (in Swedish). Swedish Baseball and Softball Federation (SBSF). Retrieved 29 August 2017.
- ↑ https://www.sbslf.se/forbundet/forbundets-historia#:~:text=1962%20blev%20Sverige%20medlem%20i,11
- ↑ https://www.walteromalley.com/biographies/dr-bill-arce/
- ↑ https://www.mister-baseball.com/roster-swedish-national-team-european-championship/
- ↑ https://www.mister-baseball.com/swedish-roster-european-championship-revealed/
- ↑ https://www.mister-baseball.com/swedish-roster-european-championship-revealed-ebc2016/
- ↑ https://extrainningsbaseball.wordpress.com/2019/09/07/euros19-preview/
- ↑ https://www.wbsceurope.org/en/events/2021-european-baseball-championship/teams/3153
- ↑ https://www.wbsceurope.org/en/events/2023-european-baseball-championship/teams/23901
- ↑ https://www.wbsceurope.org/en/events/eurobaseball2025/teams/33759
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