1958
Left bloc · SSweden hosts the World Cup and opens its first IKEA store.
1958 infographic: World Cup final, TV breakthrough, IKEA store, and pension election
AI-generated infographic using the page's 1958 anchors.
Highlights
- 1958 FIFA World Cup: Sweden hosted and reached the final, losing 2–5 to a Pelé-led Brazil. Stars Nils Liedholm and Kurt Hamrin played in Italy; the tournament drove television set ownership across the country.
- First IKEA store: On 28 October 1958 Ingvar Kamprad opened the first IKEA furniture store in Älmhult, Småland — at the time the largest furniture showroom in the world.
- 'Pension election': The snap election of 1 June was called over the ATP deadlock. Social Democrats won 111 seats; combined opposition held 120, setting up the dramatic one-vote ATP decision in spring 1959.
Events in this year
1958 1958 ATP Snap Election (Extraval) After SAP's mandatory ATP pension bill was defeated 117–111 in the Second Chamber, Erlander dissolved parliament and called a snap election in 1958. SAP won approximately 46.2 % — an increase from 1956 — and built the mandate that carried the 1959 ATP bill through by a single vote. This remains, as of 2026, the last snap election in Swedish parliamentary history. Election 1958 Sweden debuts at Eurovision with Alice Babs Eurovision lists Alice Babs and Lilla Stjärna as Sweden's 1958 entry, finishing fourth; Sveriges Radio identifies it as Sweden's first Eurovision participation. Culture 1958-06-29 Sweden reaches the 1958 World Cup final as television breaks through FIFA records Brazil beating host Sweden 5-2 in the 1958 World Cup final at Rasunda. SVT frames the same tournament as Swedish television's major breakthrough. Sports