IFK Göteborg facts for kids
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Full name | Idrottsföreningen Kamraterna Göteborg (officially IFK Göteborg Fotboll) | |
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Nickname(s) |
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Short name | IFK | |
Founded | 4 October 1904 | |
Ground | Gamla Ullevi, Gothenburg | |
Capacity | 18,454 | |
Chairman | Richard Berkling | |
Head coach | Stefan Billborn | |
League | Allsvenskan | |
2024 | Allsvenskan, 13th of 16 | |
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IFK Göteborg is a famous Swedish professional football club. It is based in the city of Gothenburg. The club was started in 1904. IFK Göteborg is the only club in the Nordic countries to have won a major European competition. They won the UEFA Cup twice, in 1982 and 1987.
IFK Göteborg plays its home games at Gamla Ullevi stadium. The club's colors are blue and white. These colors come from the original sports club and the city's coat of arms. This is why their nickname is Blåvitt, which means "Blue-white". Their uniform has blue and white stripes, with blue shorts and socks.
Besides their two UEFA Cup wins, IFK has won 18 Swedish championship titles. This is the second-highest number in Swedish football. They also have eight national cup titles, also the second-highest. The team has played in the group stage of the UEFA Champions League four times. They even reached the semi-finals of the 1985–86 European Cup in 1986. IFK Göteborg is the only sports team to win the Jerring Award. This award is for the best Swedish sports performance of the year, voted by the public. They won it for their 1982 UEFA Cup victory.
IFK Göteborg plays in Allsvenskan, which is Sweden's top football league. They have been in the top league since 1977. This is the longest time any Swedish team has stayed in the top league. The club won its first Swedish championship in 1908. This was only four years after they were founded. They have won at least one championship in almost every decade since then. Their most successful time was from 1982 to 1996. During these years, they did very well in Europe and won 10 Swedish championships.
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History of IFK Göteborg
IFK Göteborg was founded on October 4, 1904. The first meeting happened at Café Olivedal in Gothenburg. It was the third IFK club started in Gothenburg, but it's the only one still active. The club's first football match was a 4–1 win against IK Viking. IFK Göteborg's start helped football grow in the city. Before them, Örgryte IS was the main club. IFK Göteborg gave them some good competition.
In 1907, IFK Göteborg became the first Swedish team in four years to beat Örgryte IS. They won their first Swedish Championship in 1908. Three players from the club were chosen to play for Sweden in the national team's first game. That year, IFK also played against teams from other countries for the first time.
In 1910, the team wore blue and white striped jerseys for the first time. Two years later, newspapers in Stockholm called IFK Göteborg "the best Swedish football club ever." This was after they drew 1–1 against the 1912 Swedish Olympic team. IFK Göteborg won Svenska Serien, the top league at the time, five times in a row by 1917. The team didn't have a coach until 1921. That's when Hungarian manager Sándor Bródy was hired.
The first official Swedish national league, Allsvenskan, began in 1924. This was the year the famous player Filip Johansson joined IFK Göteborg. The club finished second that season. Johansson scored 39 goals in 22 games, making him the league's top scorer.
IFK won their first Allsvenskan title in 1934–35. They had finished in the top four for the ten seasons before that. Teams from Gothenburg were very strong in Swedish football during these years. However, IFK Göteborg was surprisingly moved down to a lower league in 1937–38. But they quickly moved back up to Allsvenskan the very next season. Back in the top division, IFK finished second, even with World War II starting.
IFK won another title in 1941–42 with a strong team. But the rest of the 1940s had mixed results. The team in the 1940s included the talented Gunnar Gren. He became the top scorer in 1946–47. He also won the Guldbollen award for best player in Sweden. Gren won an Olympic gold medal with the Swedish team in 1948. When Gren left in 1949, IFK was moved down from Allsvenskan the next season. Just like before, they were promoted back to Allsvenskan after only one season.
IFK played in a European Cup for the first time in 1958. This was the European Champion Clubs' Cup. They were knocked out in the second round. In 1959, a record 52,194 fans watched IFK play Örgryte IS at Nya Ullevi. This is still the highest attendance record for an Allsvenskan game.
After a quiet decade, IFK won a surprising championship title in 1969. This was under manager Bertil Johansson. The next season was one of their toughest. IFK was moved down again. This time, they didn't return to the top league right away. After three seasons in the second league, IFK worked hard to get back on track. They were finally promoted to Allsvenskan in 1976.
In 1979, IFK hired Sven-Göran Eriksson as manager. He brought in a new playing style called the "pressure and support" system. This system would bring IFK great success later on. His first season ended with a second-place finish in Allsvenskan. They also won their first gold medal in Svenska Cupen.
By the end of 1981, IFK had a strong team with new players. They finished second in the league and reached the quarter-finals of the UEFA Cup. The year 1982 was very busy. The club's board was changed, and the club almost went bankrupt. They even had to borrow money from their fan club to travel to Valencia for a UEFA Cup quarter-final. Despite these problems, IFK won every competition they played in that year. They won Allsvenskan, the Allsvenskan play-off, Svenska Cupen, and the UEFA Cup. They beat Hamburger SV 4–0 in the UEFA Cup final. For the next 15 years, IFK was the best club in Swedish football. They won the Swedish championship ten times, the domestic cup three times, and the UEFA Cup twice.
IFK kept a strong team for a few years. They won league gold in 1983 and 1984, and the cup in 1983. In 1986, the team reached the semi-finals of the European Cup. But they lost on penalties to FC Barcelona. A new group of talented players won both the UEFA Cup and Allsvenskan again in 1987. They beat Dundee United in the UEFA Cup final. The youth manager Roger Gustafsson took over the team in 1990. His time with IFK was very successful. They won Allsvenskan five times between 1990 and 1995.
When IFK won the 1993 Allsvenskan, they qualified for European competition. IFK made it to the group stage of the UEFA Champions League. They played against strong teams like FC Barcelona, Manchester United, and Galatasaray. Many people thought they would be knocked out. But IFK Göteborg surprised everyone by winning their group. They moved on to the knockout stage. However, they were knocked out in the quarter-finals by Bayern Munich because of the away goals rule.
The years before the new millennium were not as good for IFK. They only finished second in 1997 and eighth in 1998. This was after buying many expensive players who didn't perform well. In 1998 and 1999, IFK changed managers during the season. This had never happened in the club's history before. The decade ended with a sixth-place finish.
The new millennium brought mixed results. The club had to play a relegation play-off in 2002. But they also challenged for the championship in 2001, 2004, and 2005. In 2007, they won their first title in eleven years. This happened in the last round of Allsvenskan. The club then won the national cup Svenska Cupen the next season. IFK Göteborg is still seen as one of the "Big Three" in Swedish football. The other two are Malmö FF and AIK. This is true even though they have only won the Allsvenskan title once in the last 20 years.
Team Colors and Club Crest
Colors and Kit
The traditional colors for all IFK clubs are blue and white. IFK Göteborg uses these colors too. Soon after the club started in 1904, they decided their uniform should be a blue and white striped shirt with blue shorts. But this design was too expensive. So, they used a cheaper option instead. Their first uniform had a blue shirt with one white stripe across it. It also had a four-pointed star, an IFK symbol, in white on the chest. For the next few years, they used white or blue shirts without stripes.
In 1910, they used a blue and white vertically striped shirt with blue shorts for the first time. This design was inspired by a Danish club, Kjøbenhavns Boldklub. This uniform has been their home kit ever since. The small number of sponsor logos and the long use of blue and white stripes make their uniform a classic in Swedish football.
Their most common away kit has been red and white. But they have also used other colors, like orange and white, mostly in the 1990s and 2000s. The away kit introduced in 2005 went back to red and white. In 2007, they added an almost all-white third kit with blue details. In the 2010s, away kit colors changed a lot. They included a pink shirt with black shorts, a black kit, and a purple kit.
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Club Crest
The crest of IFK Göteborg comes from the city of Gothenburg's coat of arms. This city coat of arms is based on older heraldic symbols. The lion on a silver and blue background is from the House of Bjälbo. The lion holds the Three Crowns of Sweden, which are also on the coat of arms of Sweden. King Gustavus Adolphus gave this coat of arms to Gothenburg.
On the city's coat of arms, the lion faces left. This is sometimes seen as a fleeing lion. IFK chose to have the lion face right on their club crest. The three letters IFK were added on top. This crest has been used since it first appeared on the uniform in 1919. The main parts of the crest haven't changed much since then. But there have been small design changes over the years. For example, sometimes the lion faced left.
In the early 1980s, the club made the design standard. Only small changes have been made since then. One exception was from 1997–1999. During this time, IFK used a crest with more noticeable changes. This was when Reebok was their uniform sponsor. In 2020, details of the crest were updated. This was to make it clearer and more visible. The blue color was also changed. The new blue color was chosen by looking at different blue shades used in home kits over the last 40 years. Before 1919, other symbols were used. The four-pointed star of the IFK clubs was on the shirts until 1910.
Sponsorship
Kappa has been the club's uniform maker since 2016. Before that, Adidas made their uniforms for most seasons since the 1970s.
Besides the Kappa brand, IFK Göteborg's uniforms show logos from other companies. These include Serneke (a construction company), Elkontakt (an electrical contractor), Morris Law (a law firm), Atea (an IT company), Länsförsäkringar (an insurance company and bank), Rasta (a chain of restaurants), German car makers Volkswagen, and league sponsors Svenska Spel (a government-owned gambling company).
Serneke became the main shirt sponsor in 2019. They replaced Prioritet Finans. Serneke is the third main sponsor in the club's history. The grocery store chain ICA sponsored IFK Göteborg from 1974. Their logo was on the shirt's chest from 1980–2010. Many people thought it was a key part of the uniform. The ICA logo was first red, its original color. But then it was changed to a blue-and-white version. This was to match the uniform colors better.
Period | Kit manufacturer | Shirt sponsor |
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1977–78 | Adidas | None |
1979 | Admiral | |
1980 | ICA | |
1981–92 | Adidas | |
1993–96 | ASICS | |
1997–99 | Reebok | |
2000–10 | Adidas | |
2011–14 | Prioritet Finans | |
2015 | None | |
2015 | Prioritet Finans | |
2016–18 | Kappa | |
2019 | Serneke | |
2020– | Craft |
Club Facilities and Stadiums
Training Facilities
IFK Göteborg played its very first match at Karlsrofältet. This was a practice game between the club's first and second teams in 1904. There is a memorial stone at the field to remember this event. Karlsrofältet was mostly used for training in the club's early years. IFK stopped using the field completely in 1910.
From 1946 to 1964, IFK's clubhouse was Lilla Sjödala. It was located just outside Gothenburg. This house was mainly used by the club's orienteering and athletics groups. On October 1, 1961, a new complex called Kamratgården was opened. It was near Delsjön. Over the years, many additions were made. By 2004, Kamratgården had grown to 1200 square meters. It also had a nearby indoor hall and two full-size grass fields. The old buildings were taken down in February 2011. A new, modern facility opened on March 18, 2012. It has administrative and sports areas over two floors and 2000 square meters.
The football academy of IFK Göteborg and Änglagårdsskolan, a school linked to IFK, are at Prioritet Serneke Arena. This is a multi-sport complex in Kviberg. The indoor full-size football field at Prioritet Serneke Arena is sometimes used for the first team's friendly matches.
Home Stadiums
Historically, IFK Göteborg's main home stadium has been Gamla Ullevi. Most of their official games have been played there. The club has played there in two different periods. Most recently, they returned after leaving Ullevi (Nya Ullevi) in 1992. However, big games, like local matches against rivals Örgryte IS and GAIS, or international games, were still played at the larger Ullevi stadium. Gamla Ullevi could hold 18,000 fans in the 1990s and 2000s. Nya Ullevi can hold 43,200 fans.
Gamla Ullevi was torn down on January 9, 2007. A new stadium with the same name, Gamla Ullevi, was built in its place. The new stadium can hold 18,800 people. It was finished in late 2008. But it didn't open until the start of the 2009 season. While it was being built, IFK Göteborg played the 2007 and 2008 seasons at Nya Ullevi. On April 11, 2009, IFK Göteborg played their first game at the new Gamla Ullevi stadium. They won 6–0 against Djurgården in front of 18,276 fans.
IFK Göteborg has used three other stadiums as official home grounds. The first was Idrottsplatsen, used from 1905 to 1915. It was built in 1896 for a cycling club. During the 1909 season, IFK Göteborg also used Örgryte's home ground, Balders Hage. This was because of a disagreement with the owners of Idrottsplatsen. The third official stadium was Walhalla Idrottsplats. It was used for some home matches at the same time as Idrottsplatsen. A fourth ground, Slottsskogsvallen, has never been the official home ground. But it has been used many times for IFK Göteborg home matches.
Idrottsplatsen became run down in the 1910s. It was decided to completely rebuild the arena with outside help. Construction of the new football ground started in 1915. It used the site of Idrottsplatsen as its base. The new stadium was first called Ullervi, then Ullevi, and finally Gamla Ullevi. It opened in 1916. It was IFK Göteborg's home ground until 1958. That's when Nya Ullevi, built for the 1958 World Cup, opened. Because fewer people were attending games in the late 1980s and early 1990s, the club moved back to Gamla Ullevi in 1992.
Supporters and Club Relationships
Supporters
Before IFK Göteborg was founded, Örgryte IS was the main club in Gothenburg. It was seen as a club for middle and upper-class people. IFK became popular with the working class. This created a strong rivalry based on local pride and social class. In the early 1900s, fans were expected to act like gentlemen. They were supposed to cheer for both teams. But this was hard for Gothenburg fans. Local pride and class differences sometimes led to fights. The Swedish newspapers called IFK and Örgryte fans "the scum of Swedish football."
After World War I, the rivalry became calmer. Gothenburg fans became known as friendly and fair. But this was only at home games. IFK fans continued to behave badly when traveling to away matches by train. This became popular in the 1920s. This behavior was at its worst in 1939. About 1,900 IFK fans traveled to Borås to see IFK play Elfsborg. After a 2–3 loss, the fans fought with the Borås police. Then they went back to Gothenburg and caused trouble during a wartime blackout drill.
After World War II, there was less football violence. Fan culture didn't change much. Swedish football culture started to change in the late 1960s. It was heavily influenced by English fan culture. This grew in the 1970s and 1980s. It led to the creation of well-known Swedish fan clubs. These included AIK's Black Army, Djurgårdens IF's Blue Saints, and IFK Göteborg's fan club, Änglarna (the Angels). The first attempt to start an IFK fan club was in 1969. But interest dropped when IFK Göteborg was moved down from the top league the next year. The fan club was restarted in 1973. This is considered the year Änglarna was founded.
As the club became successful in European tournaments in the 1980s and 1990s, thousands of IFK fans traveled to other cities. They went to Hamburg, Barcelona, Dundee, Milan, Manchester, and Munich. The fans gained influence on the club. For example, they lent money to the almost bankrupt IFK Göteborg. This allowed the team to go to Valencia to play a UEFA Cup quarter-final in 1982. They were also the main reason for the move back to Gamla Ullevi in 1992.
In the early 1990s, fewer people attended games. This was true even though the club was doing well. But the trend changed in the late 1990s. The early 2000s brought the club's highest average attendance since the early 1980s.
In the 2000s, fan culture in Sweden started to change. It became more influenced by Southern European countries. This meant tifos (large fan displays) and ultras (passionate fan groups) became common. Instead of acting as one big group under the same flag, IFK fans created separate groups. These included Ultra Bulldogs, Young Lions, and West Coast Angelz. IFK is the most popular football club in Sweden. A 2004 survey found that 13% of Swedish football fans supported IFK Göteborg. Surveys in 2016 and 2017 confirmed IFK was still the most popular club, with 10% support. In Gothenburg, 51% of football fans support IFK. The club is also the fourth most popular in Stockholm and the second most popular in Malmö.
Since 2009, the club's entrance music is "Snart skiner Poseidon" ("Soon Poseidon will shine"). This song refers to Poseidon med brunnskar, a famous statue in Gothenburg. The song was written by singer/songwriter Joel Alme.
Club Relationships
IFK Göteborg is part of Göteborgsalliansen. This is an alliance with two other major teams from Gothenburg: GAIS and Örgryte IS. They organize tournaments together. They also hosted big games where the best players from each club played together. In 2015, IFK announced a partnership with Utsiktens BK. This agreement allows IFK's players to be loaned to Utsiktens BK for first-team experience. The fan group Ultras Göteborg also has a friendship with Ultras Nürnberg, who are fans of the German club 1. FC Nürnberg.
Players
Current First-Team Squad
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Players on Loan
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Youth Players with First-Team Experience
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Famous Players

Many great players have played for IFK Göteborg. Here are some of the most notable ones:
- Filip Johansson: He scored 180 goals in 181 league games from 1924–1932.
- Gunnar Gren: A very talented forward who played from 1941–1949. He won an Olympic gold medal.
- Bengt Berndtsson: Played 348 league games, the most for IFK Göteborg.
- Bertil Johansson: Scored 162 goals in 268 league games.
- Torbjörn Nilsson: A key forward in the successful 1980s team.
- Glenn Strömberg: A midfielder who played in the early 1980s.
- Glenn Hysén: A defender who was part of the UEFA Cup winning teams.
- Stig Fredriksson: Another important defender from the successful 1980s.
- Thomas Ravelli: A famous goalkeeper who played from 1989–1997.
- Håkan Mild: A midfielder who played many seasons for the club.
- Magnus Erlingmark: Played many different positions for the club from 1993–2004.
- Niclas Alexandersson: A midfielder who played for the club in two periods.
- Marcus Berg: A forward who played for the club in two periods and scored 51 goals.
Supporters' Player of the Year
The supporters' club Supporterklubben Änglarna gives an award called "Ärkeängeln" ("The Archangel") every year. It honors a player for their loyalty and sports achievements. A player can only win this award once. The winners are chosen by the club's board until 1982, and by fan votes since 1983.
- 1973 –
Reine Feldt
- 1974 –
Jan Nordström
- 1975 –
Conny Karlsson
- 1976 –
Reine Olausson
- 1977 –
Björn Nordqvist
- 1978 –
Reine Almqvist
- 1979 –
Torbjörn Nilsson
- 1980 –
Tord Holmgren
- 1981 –
Glenn Hysén
- 1982 –
Ruben Svensson
- 1983 –
Jerry Carlsson
- 1984 –
Stig Fredriksson
- 1985 –
Thomas Wernerson
- 1986 –
Tommy Holmgren
- 1987 –
Stefan Pettersson
- 1988 –
Roland Nilsson
- 1989 –
Magnus "Lill-Tidan" Johansson
- 1990 –
Ola Svensson
- 1991 –
Thomas Ravelli
- 1992 –
Johnny Ekström
- 1993 –
Peter Eriksson
- 1994 –
Mikael Nilsson
- 1995 –
Jonas Olsson
- 1996 –
Stefan Lindqvist
- 1997 –
Magnus Erlingmark
- 1998 –
Mikael Martinsson
- 1999 –
Håkan Mild
- 2000 –
Stefan Landberg
- 2001 –
Bengt Andersson
- 2002 –
Tomas Rosenkvist
- 2003 –
Mikael Antonsson
- 2004 –
Niclas Alexandersson
- 2005 –
Magnus "Ölme" Johansson
- 2006 –
Dennis Jonsson
- 2007 –
Hjálmar Jónsson
- 2008 –
Stefan Selaković
- 2009 –
Tobias Hysén
- 2010 –
Ragnar Sigurðsson
- 2011 –
Thomas Olsson
- 2012 –
Jakob Johansson
- 2013 –
Hannes Stiller
- 2014 –
Emil Salomonsson
- 2015 –
John Alvbåge
- 2016 –
Martin Smedberg-Dalence
- 2017 –
Sebastian Eriksson
- 2018 –
Robin Söder
- 2019 –
Lasse Vibe
- 2020 –
Mattias Bjärsmyr
- 2021 –
Tobias Sana
- 2022 –
Marcus Berg
- 2023 –
Gustav Svensson
Club Management
Organisation
Coaching Staff
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Notable Managers

Here are some of the most important managers in IFK Göteborg's history. They either won a major trophy or managed the team for many league matches.
Name | IFK Göteborg career | League matches | Swedish Championship | Svenska Cupen | UEFA Cup |
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1924–1929 1931–1932 1943 |
183 | |||
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1930 1933–1938 |
137 | 1934–35 | ||
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1941–1942 | 43 | 1941–42 | ||
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1943–1948 | 110 | |||
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1954–1958 | 99 | 1957–58 | ||
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1967–1970 | 88 | 1969 | ||
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1979–1982 | 87 | 1978–79 1981–82 |
1981–82 | |
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1982 1985–1987 |
79 | 1982 1987 |
1986–87 | |
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1983–1984 | 44 | 1983 1984 |
1982–83 | |
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1990–1995 2002 |
165 | 1990 1991 1993 1994 1995 |
1991 | |
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1996–1998 | 60 | 1996 | ||
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2007–2010 | 100 | 2007 | 2008 | |
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2007–2011 | 146 | 2007 | 2008 | |
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2012–2014 2021–2023 |
142 | 2012–13 | ||
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2015–2017 | 74 | 2014–15 | ||
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2018–2020 | 78 | 2019–20 |
Club Achievements and Records
Trophies Won
IFK Göteborg has won many important titles:
Swedish Championships
- Swedish Champions (18 times):
* 1908, 1910, 1918 * 1934–35, 1941–42, 1957–58, 1969 * 1982, 1983, 1984, 1987, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996 * 2007
League Titles
- Allsvenskan (Sweden's top league) Winners (13 times):
* 1934–35, 1941–42, 1957–58, 1969 * 1982, 1984, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996 * 2007
- Runners-up (13 times): 1924–25, 1926–27, 1929–30, 1939–40, 1979, 1981, 1986, 1988, 1997, 2005, 2009, 2014, 2015
- Svenska Serien Winners (5 times): 1912–13, 1913–14, 1914–15, 1915–16, 1916–17
- Fyrkantserien Winners (2 times): 1918, 1919
- Mästerskapsserien Winners (1 time): 1991
- Division 2 Winners (3 times): 1938–39, 1950–51, 1976
Cup Titles
- Svenska Cupen (National Cup) Winners (8 times):
* 1978–79, 1981–82, 1982–83, 1991 * 2008, 2012–13, 2014–15, 2019–20
- Allsvenskan Play-offs Winners (5 times): 1982, 1983, 1984, 1987, 1990
- Svenska Mästerskapet Winners (3 times): 1908, 1910, 1918
- Svenska Supercupen Winners (1 time): 2008
- Kamratmästerskapen Winners (11 times): 1909, 1910, 1912, 1913, 1914, 1915, 1920, 1921, 1922, 1924, 1940
European Titles
- UEFA Cup Winners (2 times): 1981–82, 1986–87
- European Cup/UEFA Champions League Semi-finals (2 times): 1985–86, 1992–93
- Intertoto Cup Winners (8 times): 1967, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1985, 1986, 1988
Club Records
- Biggest home win in Allsvenskan: 9–1 vs. IK Sleipner, May 10, 1925; 8–0 vs. Hammarby IF, June 2, 1925; 8–0 vs. Stattena IF, April 21, 1930
- Biggest away win in Allsvenskan: 9–2 vs. IFK Eskilstuna, October 8, 1933; 7–0 vs. IK Sleipner, April 20, 1941
- Biggest home loss in Allsvenskan: 2–9 vs. Malmö FF, September 10, 1949
- Biggest away loss in Allsvenskan: 0–7 vs. IFK Norrköping, May 1, 1960
- Highest attendance at Nya Ullevi: 52,194 vs. Örgryte IS, June 3, 1959
- Highest attendance at Gamla Ullevi: 31,064 vs. GAIS, May 27, 1955
- Highest attendance at Slottsskogsvallen: 21,580 vs. AIK, October 25, 1931
- Highest average attendance for a season: 23,796, in 1977
- Most appearances in total: 609, by Mikael Nilsson (1987–2001)
- Most appearances in Allsvenskan: 348, by Bengt Berndtsson (1951–1967)
- Most goals scored in total: 333, by Filip Johansson (1924–1934)
- Most goals scored in Allsvenskan: 180, by Filip Johansson (1924–1934)
- Most goals scored in one Allsvenskan season: 39, by Filip Johansson (1924–1925)
See also
In Spanish: IFK Göteborg para niños