Hammarby IF have made a strong start to the 2026 season, according to multiple reports. They will play the Swedish Cup final against Mjällby and currently sit fourth in Allsvenskan with seven points after four rounds. On Sunday, they face a derby against Djurgårdens IF in the fifth round of the league.
Hammarby began the Allsvenskan campaign with a 3-0 win over Mjällby, then lost 0-2 to Sirius. They followed up with an 8-1 victory against newcomers Örgryte and a draw against Halmstad. The last time Djurgården won a derby against Hammarby was during the 2022 season. The teams last met in the Swedish Cup quarterfinal, where Hammarby won 1-0 with a stoppage-time goal by Paulos Abraham.
I never speculate about such things. I think it's completely uninteresting.
According to Expressen, Hammarby star Nahir Besara said the team does not think about history and focuses on the match, noting that derbies live their own lives. He added that Djurgården will likely try to play the same match as last time, defending well and counterattacking, and will be eager to break their negative trend in derbies. Hammarby coach Kalle Karlsson, according to Fotbolltransfers, said he never speculates about favorites and finds such speculation uninteresting.
Noah Persson, a left-back who joined Hammarby last summer but had his autumn ruined by injury problems, has started all cup matches during the preseason. He left Mjällby in 2023; the season he left, Mjällby finished tenth, then fifth, and last year they won the league title.
According to one source, Hammarby are tipped to win Allsvenskan, while Mjällby are tipped to finish second. Hammarby have also reached the cup final, which adds to their strong season so far.