Sweden’s men’s handball team plays a crucial match against Hungary tonight in Malmö, seeking to advance in the European Championship. Despite the team’s strong fanbase – evidenced by over 11,000 attendees at a non-championship game last spring – ticket sales for the tournament have been uneven, wiht thousands of seats still available for the highly anticipated contest. Organizers have responded by discounting premium tickets in an effort to boost attendance for the final matches in Malmö.
Sweden’s men’s handball team faces a must-win game against Hungary tonight in the European Championship, but a significant number of seats at Malmö Arena remain unsold.
As of Tuesday morning, thousands of tickets were still available for the arena, which has a capacity of 11,800 spectators.
“Looking at tonight’s match, we’re currently over 7,000 tickets sold,” said Tobias Frejfors, CEO of EM 2026. “But what we’ve seen throughout the championship is that sales increase in the final hours.”
Is the low ticket sales a concern?
“No. So far, we are satisfied. We’ve had an average attendance of just under 10,000 and an occupancy rate of 84 percent. But of course, we want as many people as possible on site.”
The only sellout crowd came during Sweden’s opening match against the Netherlands last Saturday. The lowest attendance so far was 7,745 for the game against Slovenia last Friday.
That compares to over 11,000 fans who attended a non-championship game at the Globe Arena last spring, demonstrating the team’s strong following.
Ahead of the final match days in Malmö (Tuesday and Wednesday), tournament organizers have reduced the price of the most expensive ticket category, which previously cost 1,530 SEK for a day ticket to three matches.
“Yes, we’ve adjusted those tickets to 890 SEK,” Frejfors said.
“We’re working with a strategy where we try to increase sales incentives as much as possible. It’s the same as with train tickets or airline tickets or hotel rooms or whatever. We need to be flexible and adapt if necessary to stimulate sales.”
