A 2-0 win at home to Elfsborg on Saturday has left Mjallby on the brink of a first major trophy in the club's history. The team from a village of 600 people on the Swedish coast could be Allsvenskan champions by Sunday evening, having never previously finished higher than fifth.
Remarkably, the club which has dominated the Swedish league in 2025 barely made any changes to their squad which saw a top-half finish in 2024 as a real achievement.
Perhaps no one embodies the rapid rise of Mjallby better than centre-forward Jacob Bergstrom, who first donned the yellow and black shirt in 2018 and recently turned out for his 200th appearance across three spells.
After Saturday's victory, the 30-year-old expressed what this season has meant for the club and put into context just how far Mjallby has come in a short space of time.
"It’s massive, of course! I was here when we played in the third division, and then I was really proud to be at that level. And now to be here with Mjallby, with these guys, a few guys who have been here a long time, since back then."
'I hope they are proud'
Mjallby is a tight-knit, community-driven club that is unique within the Allsvenskan, let alone further afield. Bergstrom, from nearby Karlskrona, understands the significance of the club to the local people.
"For every Mjallby supporter - they have not had that much success since we were founded - so for them to see all this makes me really happy."
Any fans of teams on the cusp of unlikely silverware will undoubtedly speak of the pride they have in the players donning the shirt. But in this corner of Sweden, it's the players who are proud to have the supporters with them on the journey to glory.
"We are proud of them and I hope they are proud of us."
Unbeaten since their only loss of the campaign so far on 11th May, Mjallby had been doing just enough in recent weeks to maintain a healthy advantage over second-placed Hammarby, grinding out three 1-0 wins in their previous four, with a 1-1 draw against Oster the only exception.
Asked what made the difference in the 2-0 win over Elfsborg, Bergstrom pointed to MAIF's solidity and outlines the factors that have helped them go on this run at the business end of the season.
"I think we are more of a solid team, and we have shown in the last games that we can win in every phase.
"It doesn’t matter if we do a corner kick, or if it’s a penalty, we stay in the game, we are tough to beat, we are good defensively, and today we’ve shown that we are men and not boys.
"So, proud of the team and how we play and how we defend, and with everything."
Read the full report of Mjallby's 2-0 win
Right place at the right time
Much of the focus of Mjallby's success has centred on assistant coach Karl Marius Aksum and the tactical innovations he has brought to the Hallevik club.
But sometimes, all you need to take the lead is for a 1.91m target man to be ready to pounce on a rebound inside the box, and that is exactly how Mjallby broke the deadlock, courtesy of Bergstrom's third goal of the campaign.
"Football, sometimes! You can practice corner kicks or goal kicks forever, but then it ends up in a rebound from the ‘keeper.
"And that’s the beauty of football – you can work on things and how to do the build-up and stuff like that, but sometimes it just has to bounce in the right place! It’s lovely football!"
'It is what it is'
Even with the win, it was impossible for Mjallby to seal the title at home at Strandvallen on Saturday. They now lead Hammarby by 14 points, but with the Stockholm side not playing until Sunday, they can still amass a maximum of 15.
Would Bergstrom have preferred to clinch the Allsvenskan trophy on the pitch?
"I don’t care, if I’m honest! It is what it is!
"I’m not going to be sad if Hammarby doesn't win tomorrow, that’s for sure."
Hammarby travel to Gothenburg to play IFK Goteborg at 14:00 CEST on Sunday, knowing only three points will prevent Mjallby's title celebrations from getting underway.
Follow the remarkable 2025 Allsvenskan season on Flashscore.
