There are only a handful of instances where I am a loud and proud Swede; when ABBA is being played on a night out, whenever I see Alexander Skarsgård on TV and when the women’s national football team is playing. As a Swedish expat I’ve done my best to acclimatise, but I simply can’t pick the Lionesses over my national team (sorry). And a big reason for this is the Swedish fans.
They are an organised troup going by the name Soft Hooligans and they religiously show up to every single match to show their support. And while ‘hooligans’ might draw negative connotations of violence and toxic masculinity, these supporters are promoting the opposite. The Soft Hooligans are all about good vibes and good vibes only. They have braved the travel chaos and made the journey from Sweden to England to support the women’s national team until the very last minute of additional time.
