Official EuroVolley song sets tone for championship in Göteborg – ‘Hur vi skimrade’ out now!

When the Swedish women’s national team walks into Scandinavium this coming August 21, they will do so to the sound of something brand new. For the first time, an official championship song has been created for a Swedish national Volleyball team. ‘Hur vi skimrade’ (How we shimmered), performed by local artist Jackie Mere, has today released on Spotify – and will be performed live ahead of Sweden’s EuroVolley opener against Montenegro on August 21. The song is available here. 

From August 21 to 27, the CEV EuroVolley 2026 Women Pool D will be played in historic fashion at Scandinavium in Göteborg. Over the course of seven days, Sweden will play five huge matches –  against Montenegro, Slovakia, reigning world and Olympic champions Italy, Croatia and France. In total, 15 matches of world-class Volleyball await in one of Sweden’s largest and most iconic indoor arenas.

Now the championship and the Swedish women’s national team also have a soundtrack of their own. On Friday, ‘Hur vi skimrade’ was released – Sweden’s official EuroVolley 2026 song. The song is performed by Jackie Mere and written by Stina Lindberg and Simon Ljungman, with Andreas ‘Hyena’ Soderlund as producer. It is the first time an official championship song has been created for a Swedish national Volleyball team.

The Haak sisters involved in the process

The idea was born more than a year ago when Tobias Winsnes, project manager for EuroVolley, wanted to create something extra for Sweden’s historic home championship. “I felt that our fantastic women’s national team deserved a song of their own when they are set to play a championship on home soil for the first time. Simon Ljungman and I have worked together before, so I called him right away, and that is where the journey began,” says Winsnes.

The song has developed in close dialogue with national team stars Anna and Isabelle Haak, who have both been involved in the process. ‘Bella’ also appears on the recording herself - as a pianist!
“It is just so incredibly cool that we have our own EuroVolley song! It has a really good vibe and I cannot wait for it to be played in Scandinavium. It is also exciting because it shows how big this championship is for Swedish Volleyball. Anna has been involved in the creative process from the start, and getting to play a piano line on the track was really fun - piano is an interest of mine outside Volleyball. It was cool to see how things work behind the scenes in the creative process; the people who created the song are such pros - and Jackie is incredible!” says Isabelle Haak.

A song about continuing to fight

The song’s message centres on togetherness, courage and daring to believe in yourself - themes that closely reflect the strong journey the Swedish women’s national team has made in recent years.
“I wanted to write lyrics with a bigger message and an inclusive feeling. A song about continuing to fight, believing in yourself and, at the same time, sending a thank you to all the people around us. Deep down, we are all winners,” says songwriter Stina Lindberg.

Musically, the song draws inspiration from both arena culture and Göteborg’s music tradition. “We wanted to create something the crowd could sing along to straight away. The choirs are inspired by terrace chants, and the melody grew out of a simple piano figure that later became the song’s signature,” says Simon Ljungman.

Producer Andreas ‘Hyena’ Soderlund wanted to give the song a distinct Göteborg expression: “I wanted to make ‘the best of Göteborg’. We landed in a Broder Daniel-scented sound with lots of choirs and rhythms, combined with Jackie’s fantastic voice. It has been an unusual assignment, making a song that should both energise a national team and lift an entire arena, but it has also been one of the most fun.” 

Performed live ahead of the EuroVolley opener

On August 21, ‘Hur vi skimrade’ will set the tone for the entire championship. Jackie Mere will perform the song live at Scandinavium ahead of Sweden’s EuroVolley opener against Montenegro. It will be one of the first major moments as the championship celebration in Göteborg gets under way - just before the women’s national team steps into its historic home championship.

“The fact that Jackie is also from Göteborg feels especially nice with the championship being played at Scandinavium. She has really put her own mark on the song,” says Tobias Winsnes.
The performance will mark the start of a championship week in which Scandinavium hosts 15 matches. Sweden will play five group-stage matches and chase a place in the knockout rounds in front of the home crowd.

Secure your seat at Scandinavium

EuroVolley in Göteborg will be the first time a senior women’s Volleyball championship is played on Swedish soil. Tickets for all matches are still available at Ticketmaster.se. 

Pictures by Eveline Johnsson