Albin Bysell Söderkvist was the match-winner for Edsbyn in the 2026 Swedish bandy championship final, according to official sources. He scored the 1-0 and 2-0 goals within a minute, ten minutes into the match, and added his third goal from a corner rebound after half an hour of play, making it 4-0. According to SVT Sport, Albin Bysell Söderkvist expressed extreme joy about the victory and declared his team the best in Sweden.
The 2026 final was a rematch of the previous year's final, according to major media reports. Villa Lidköping, playing its eighth consecutive final in 2026 according to multiple sources, had won the 2025 final with a score of 7-3, leading 5-0 at halftime. Christoffer Edlund scored four goals for Villa Lidköping in that 2025 final, for the second year in a row.
I am completely empty. It is completely fucking magical. What a fucking group, what a fucking club. We finish seventh in the series and we play 8-2 in a Swedish championship final. There is no team that can beat us if we are this good. We are the best in the series, we are the best in Sweden. That's just how it is.
Edsbyn last won the championship in 2022, when they defeated Villa Lidköping, major media reports indicate. Edsbyn's path to the championship was highly improbable, as they finished seventh in the 2026 regular season, according to multiple sources. No team had ever won the championship starting from the round of 16 before Edsbyn in 2026, major media reports show.
They defeated Broberg 2-0 in matches in the round of 16, Bollnäs 3-1 in matches in the quarterfinals, and Sirius 3-0 in the semifinals, according to those reports. Key moments in the 2026 final included Ludde Bjernulf scoring to make it 3-0 for Edsbyn in the 12th minute, according to major media. Villa Lidköping's coach Per Fosshaug called a timeout after Edsbyn's third goal, those reports state.
I already predicted in the autumn that Villa would win the elite series and then take home the gold. I am not going to change my mind now.
Edsbyn's goalkeeper Henrik Karlström played excellently and kept the halftime score at 4-0, according to major media. Villa Lidköping reduced the score to 1-4 in the 52nd minute with a goal by Martin Karlsson from a corner, and had another goal disallowed for offside shortly after, major media reports indicate. Oscar Wikblad scored to restore Edsbyn's four-goal lead and later completed a hat-trick, though the exact number of goals in his hat-trick and the specific times of all goals remain unknown.
Historically, Swedish bandy championships have seen several dominant clubs over the decades. The first final was played in 1907 in Boulognerskogen in central Gävle, where IFK Uppsala defeated IFK Gävle 4-2, according to major media. IFK Uppsala is one of six clubs that have dominated bandy during different eras over its 119-year history, those reports state.
The team did not do very well in the elite series and finished seventh, but you can never count out these guys from Hälsingland. Edsbyn always lifts itself when it comes to playoffs.
They played four consecutive finals from 1910 to 1913 and won four golds, and later played finals again from 1915 to 1921, winning six new golds. Örebro dominated in the 1950s, winning three golds in five finals between 1954 and 1958. IF Boltic from Karlstad played ten finals between 1979 and 1988 and won eight golds.
Västerås SK won three golds when they played four consecutive finals between 1996 and 1999, and has a total of 21 golds. Edsbyn dominated in the 2010s, playing six consecutive finals from 2004 to 2009 and winning five golds. Villa Lidköping is the current dominant club in bandy, according to major media.
I am impressed with Edsbyn, but now it will be much tougher. Last year when they met in the final, it was over after one half when Villa led 5-0.
Expert analysis from Ola Fredricson, one of the best bandy players of all time in Sweden who played five finals and won three and is now a bandy expert, according to major media, provides context. According to Expressen Sport, Ola Fredricson predicted in the autumn that Villa Lidköping would win the elite series and then take home the gold, and he had not changed his mind. He noted that Edsbyn always lifts its game when it comes to playoffs, despite finishing seventh in the elite series.
According to Expressen Sport, he described last year's final as being over after one half when Villa led 5-0. He stated it would be difficult to stop Villa from becoming champions again and did not think it was possible, emphasizing that Edsbyn needed to find a good tactic. According to Expressen Sport, he described Villa as a machine that always owns the game and has so much offensive variation, and he thought Villa was better now than last year.
Well, it will be difficult, I do not think it is possible. It is up to Edsbyn to find a good tactic. I would love to be a fly on the wall in their locker room when the match plan is drawn up one last time.
He highlighted Martin Karlsson, Joel Broberg, and Christoffer Edlund as three stars in Villa. Logistical details of the 2026 final include it being held at ABB Arena in Västerås and broadcast on Expressen, starting at 16:25, according to major media. In related news, Sweden won the P17 youth World Championship in bandy with a 4-2 victory over Norway in the final held at Serwenthallen in Uppsala, and William Wijk and Marcus Albertsson, part of the coaching staff, represented Sandvikens AIK in the Swedish P17 team, those reports indicate.
Unanswered questions from the 2026 final include what specific tactics Edsbyn used to defeat Villa Lidköping, as well as the attendance at the final in Västerås. Reactions from Villa Lidköping's players and coach after the loss also remain unknown. Christoffer Edlund scored the most goals and points of any player in the 2026 regular season, according to major media, but his performance in the final is not detailed.
Here we are talking about a machine, Villa always owns the game and has so much variation offensively. I think Villa is better now than last year.
Major media reports indicate Edsbyn won its 14th Swedish bandy championship title, though this is from a low-confidence source.
There are plenty of 'stars' in Villa. If I were to highlight three, it would be Martin Karlsson, Joel Broberg, and the 39-year-old Christoffer Edlund, he just...