Allsvenskan Promotion-Relegation Playoff: Värnamo Faces Former Fellow Promoted Side Landskrona, Will History Repeat Itself?

The first leg of the Allsvenskan promotion-relegation playoff is set to take place in the early hours of November 22, Beijing time. Värnamo, a team that narrowly missed automatic safety, will battle it out with Landskrona for a coveted spot in Sweden’s top-flight league next season. The two teams share a history, both having been promoted to the Superettan in 2020, but since then, their journeys have diverged significantly.

Värnamo’s Steady Rise and Sudden Setback

After earning promotion to the Allsvenskan in 2021 by clinching the Superettan title, Värnamo has spent the past three seasons in Sweden’s top tier. Their initial seasons were a testament to their resilience and adaptability. In their debut campaign, they secured safety with three rounds to spare, a feat many newly promoted sides can only dream of. The following year, they performed even better, never coming close to the relegation zone. In fact, their supporters lamented narrowly missing out on European qualification—a testament to how far the club had come.

However, this season, subtle but crucial weaknesses emerged. Both their attack and defense saw slight declines in performance. The result? Matches that should have been victories ended in draws. While the number of losses remained unchanged compared to last season, their win tally halved, dropping from 14 to just seven. This left them with a league-high number of draws, tied with IFK Göteborg and Brommapojkarna.

In a tightly contested Allsvenskan, where small margins often determine success or failure, these slight setbacks proved costly. Värnamo finished the regular season with the same points and goal difference as 13th-placed IFK Göteborg but lost out due to having three fewer goals scored, pushing them into the playoff spot.

Final Day Frustration

Värnamo’s fate could have been different. In the final round, they faced Elfsborg, a team with no stakes left in the season. Victory would have