January 16, 2025 Nolan Hughes

Three International PBA Regionals in Sweden added to 2025 schedule

The Professional Bowlers Association has partnered with World Bowling Tour (WBT) Sweden, a Swedish bowling organization, to create PBA Sweden, bringing PBA Regional Tour events to the Scandinavian country.

PBA Sweden follows the PBA Japan partnership that began in 2014 and was relaunched last summer.

The first PBA Sweden event will be held Feb. 1-2, 2025 at RC Bowling in Jönköping, Sweden.

“Sweden is proud to have a big presence on the PBA Tour,” Robert Andersson, Sweden’s national team coach, said. “We know that you have to bowl against the best to have a chance to become the best. We hope and think that this cooperation will make the PBA Tour more accessible for our players and that they will be more prepared for what is to come when going to the PBA. Our goal is to have one of the best national teams in the world and we see the PBA as the best place to develop competition skills.”

“Similar to Japan, Sweden has a very strong bowling program, its leaders are trusted advocates of the sport and its players have made a strong impact on the PBA Tour, particularly during the history of the PBA World Series of Bowling,” PBA Tour Commissioner Tom Clark said. “We are proud to partner on PBA Sweden, broadening and strengthening the global impact of the PBA, while helping to inspire more people around the world to get involved with competitive bowling, PBA style.”

Four PBA tournaments will be held in Sweden in 2025, culminating with the Storm Lucky Larsen Masters (SLLM), the lone national title event of the four.

Jesper Svensson won the SLLM last season, but the most accomplished Swede in PBA history is far from the country’s only successful player. Eight Swedish players, including Svensson and fellow exempt player Kim Bolleby, cashed in 2024 PBA Tour events.

Among those eight players was longtime touring player Martin Larsen, who the SLLM is named after.

Larsen, who twice was voted the Steve Nagy Sportsmanship award winner, helped put WBT Sweden’s partnership together with the PBA.

“To have the chance to bowl and win on the PBA Tour is the ultimate goal for many bowlers, but it’s very, very tough to get there,” Larsen said. “PBA Sweden will be a great step towards that chance for Swedish players! I wish PBA Sweden was there 15 years ago!”

The winners of each of the three PBA Sweden regional events will receive an international invitation to the PBA World Series of Bowling XVII in 2026 and a spot in the Final Step 1 round of the 2025 SLLM.

Points will be tabulated across all four PBA Sweden events. The top point-earner and senior point-earner will receive an invitation to the 2025 PBA Regional Players Invitational. 

The top three overall point-earners will receive a berth in PBA Tour Trials, in which they will compete for an exempt berth on the 2026 PBA Tour.

More information about the PBA Sweden events is available here.

PBA Sweden Schedule

PBA Sweden Chameleon Jönköping
Feb. 1-2
RC Bowling
Jönköping, Sweden

PBA Sweden Scorpion Eskilstuna
April 18-19
Eskilstuna Bowlingcenter
Eskilstuna, Sweden

PBA Sweden Badger Stockholm
August 9-10
New Bowl Center
Årsta, Sweden

Storm Lucky Larsen Masters
Aug. 22-31
Olympia Bowling
Helsingborg, Sweden