| ||||||
| Team information | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Governing body | Sweden Rugby League | |||||
| Region | Europe | |||||
| Head coach | Sebastian Johnson-Cadwell | |||||
| Captain | Fabian Wikander | |||||
| IRL ranking | 56th | |||||
| Team results | ||||||
| First international | ||||||
 Sweden 20 - 20 Norway  (Gothenburg, Sweden; 30 October 2010) | ||||||
| Biggest win | ||||||
Sweden 50 - 16 Poland  (Łódź, Poland; 12 October 2019) | ||||||
| Biggest defeat | ||||||
 Denmark 122 - 8 Sweden (Copenhagen, Denmark; 28 April 2012) | ||||||
The Sweden national rugby league team (nicknamed the Barbarians) was founded in 2008.
Rugby League in Sweden was founded by Scott Edwards in 2008. The first competitive rugby league on Swedish soil was the 2nd annual Scandinavian Nines Tournament, hosted by Spartacus Reds in Gothenburg in April 2010. [1] Following the success of the 9's competition, a domestic league was founded in 2011, comprising three teams - Borås Ravens, Spartacus Reds and Gothenburg Lions. [2]
Sweden competed in their first rugby league international on 30 October 2010 when they drew 20 - 20 against Norway. Robin Larsson was the first player to score a try for Sweden.
Sweden earned their first international rugby league win in July 2013, beating Norway in the Nordic Cup 40–22 in Oslo. [3] Later in the year, Sweden would win their first ever silverware, after they beat Denmark in August. This victory secured Sweden's first ever Nordic cup title. [4]
22 September 2018 vs Netherlands; [5]
| Team | First Played | Played | Win | Draw | Loss | Points For | Points Against | Last Meeting |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Czech Republic | 2015 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 40 | 12 | 2015 |
| Denmark | 2011 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 104 | 310 | 2016 |
 Netherlands | 2017 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 28 | 52 | 2018 |
| Norway | 2010 | 8 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 162 | 244 | 2018 |
| Poland | 2019 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 50 | 16 | 2019 |
| TOTAL | 18 | 5 | 1 | 12 | 384 | 634 |
| Date | Result | Competition | Venue | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 October 2019 | Sweden def. Poland 50-16 | Friendly | Łódź, Poland | Not known |
| 13 October 2018 | Norway def. Sweden 46-6 | Friendly | Gothenburg, Sweden | Not known |
| 22 September 2018 | Netherlands def. Sweden 24-4 | Friendly | Gothenburg, Sweden | Not known |
| 9 September 2017 | Netherlands def. Sweden 28-24 | Friendly | Oslo, Norway | Not known |
| 17 June 2017 | Norway def. Sweden 38-18 | Nordic Cup | Oslo, Norway | Not known |
| 7 August 2016 | Norway def. Sweden 50-18 | Nordic Cup | Copenhagen, Denmark | Not known |
| 16 July 2016 | Norway def. Sweden 40-24 | Nordic Cup | Stockholm, Sweden | Not known |
| 17 October 2015 | Norway def. Sweden 30-20 | Nordic Cup | Oslo, Norway | Not known |
| 30 August 2014 | Sweden def. Norway 24-12 | Nordic Cup | Kävlinge, Sweden | Not known [6] |
| 16 August 2014 | Denmark def. Sweden 44-6 | Nordic Cup | Copenhagen, Denmark | Not known |
| 17 August 2013 | Sweden def. Denmark 38-12 | Nordic Cup | Kävlinge, Sweden | Not known |
| 24 July 2013 | Sweden def. Norway 40-22 | Nordic Cup | Oslo, Norway | Not known [7] |
| 28 July 2012 | Norway def. Sweden 36-10 | Nordic Cup | Stockholm, Sweden | Not known [8] |
| 28 April 2012 | Denmark def. Sweden 122-8 | Test match | Gladsaxe Stadium, Copenhagen, Denmark | 500+ [9] |
| 2 July 2011 | Denmark XIII def. Sweden 52-18 | Nordic Cup | Spartacus Rugby Club, Gothenburg, Sweden | Not known [10] |
| 30 October 2010 | Sweden drew Norway 20-20 | Nordic Cup | Spartacus Rugby Club, Gothenburg | Not known [11] |
| Official rankings as of December 2025 | |||
| Rank | Change | Team | Pts % |
| 1 |  |  Australia | 100 |
| 2 | |  New Zealand | 82 |
| 3 | |  England | 74 |
| 4 | |  Samoa | 56 |
| 5 | |  Tonga | 54 |
| 6 | |  Papua New Guinea | 47 |
| 7 | |  Fiji | 34 |
| 8 | |  France | 24 |
| 9 | |  Cook Islands | 24 |
| 10 | |  Serbia | 23 |
| 11 | | Netherlands | 22 |
| 12 | |  Ukraine | 21 |
| 13 | |  Wales | 18 |
| 14 | |  Ireland | 17 |
| 15 | |  Greece | 15 |
| 16 | |  Malta | 15 |
| 17 | |  Italy | 11 |
| 18 | |  Jamaica | 9 |
| 19 |  1 | Poland | 7 |
| 20 | 1 |  Lebanon | 7 |
| 21 | 1 | Norway | 7 |
| 22 |  3 |  United States | 7 |
| 23 | |  Germany | 7 |
| 24 | | Czech Republic | 6 |
| 25 | |  Chile | 6 |
| 26 | 1 |  Philippines | 5 |
| 27 | 1 |  Scotland | 5 |
| 28 | 2 |  South Africa | 5 |
| 29 | 1 |  Canada | 5 |
| 30 | 1 |  Brazil | 3 |
| 31 | 1 |  Morocco | 3 |
| 32 | 1 |  North Macedonia | 3 |
| 33 | 1 |  Argentina | 3 |
| 34 | 1 |  Montenegro | 3 |
| 35 | 4 |  Ghana | 2 |
| 36 | 5 |  Kenya | 2 |
| 37 | 3 |  Nigeria | 2 |
| 38 | 2 |  Albania | 1 |
| 39 | 2 |  Turkey | 1 |
| 40 | 2 |  Bulgaria | 1 |
| 41 | 1 |  Cameroon | 0 |
| 42 | 1 |  Japan | 0 |
| 43 | 1 |  Spain | 0 |
| 44 | 3 |  Colombia | 0 |
| 45 | |  Russia | 0 |
| 46 | |  El Salvador | 0 |
| 47 | |  Bosnia and Herzegovina | 0 |
| 48 | |  Hong Kong | 0 |
| 49 | |  Solomon Islands | 0 |
| 50 | |  Vanuatu | 0 |
| 51 | |  Hungary | 0 |
| 52 | |  Latvia | 0 |
| 53 | | Denmark | 0 |
| 54 | |  Belgium | 0 |
| 55 | |  Estonia | 0 |
| 56 | | Sweden | 0 |
| 57 | |  Niue | 0 |
| Complete rankings at www.internationalrugbyleague.com | |||
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