The Royal league tournament constituted a Scandinavian equi-valent to the UEFA Champions League, consisting of the highest ranked teams from Norway, Sweden and Denmark. The aim of the tournament was to enhance the competitiveness of the Scandinavian teams by offering them high-quality opposition during winter months, when football was otherwise a scarcity. However, the tournament received criticism in the press, and was discontinued after merely three seasons. By analysing Swedish press representations of views on the Royal league, this article explores possible explanations for why the tournament was launched, and why it eventually failed. Especially, the article examines representations relating to the question of why and how Scandinavia was seen as a fertile framework for the tournament, and why this framework eventually proved insufficient for keeping the tournament alive. Through this analysis, the dynamic and volatile nature of the imagined Scandinavian category, especially in relation to audience interest and behaviour, emerges as a viable explanation for both the perceived possibilities of the tournament and for its eventual demise. Thus, the article provides important insights into the functions of Scandinavia as an imagined geography in the world of early 21st century sports