The Esquire office is like the League of Nations. Well, not quite, but we do have a Swede in our midst – the lovely Malin Persson who works in the art department and ensures the Esquire blog looks as stylish as it does. Tonight, Malin and her fellow exiled Swedes will be congregating at their London pub of choice The Harcourt Arms, in the hope their football team can pull off a miracle and qualify for the 2010 World Cup finals, at the expense of Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal.

The Harcourt Arms in Marylebone boasts strong links with the Swedish community due to the proximity of  the Swedish Church, Swedish Embassy, Swedish Chamber of Commerce and Swedish Trade Council. The pub is a regular haunt for staff of all the above, and shows Swedish football and ice hockey. 

After the disappointment of a late and potentially fatal defeat to local rivals Denmark on Saturday, Sweden line up tonight against Albania, with their World Cup hopes hanging by a thread - they need nothing less than a victory, but also need minnows Malta to beat or draw against Portugal. So, if you’re in Marylebone area tonight, you can expect blondes, a great atmosphere and, very probably, the sight of Malin Persson in tears.

www.theharcourt.com