IT is officially the sunniest square metre in Sweden, a spot bright enough to dispel even those World Cup woes – and it is, quite literally, the ideal destination for armchair art enthusiasts.

The Nordic nation may last night have been ousted from football’s greatest competition by France – they lost 3-0 to Kylian Mbappe & Co – but there is at least a ray of sunshine.

Several of them, in fact.

Working with meteorologists, and backed by 20 years of solar data, furniture giant IKEA has narrowed down Sweden’s sunniest spot to Gotland, an island off the country’s east coast.

Naturally, they’ve marked the square metre with a permanent monument – a couple of stone armchairs inspired by brand’s iconic SKARPÖ outdoor chair designed by Magnus Elebäck.

Of course, they have. And no assembly required.

The site is intended to become a new Swedish summer tourist destination – a place where sun-seekers can make the journey to experience Sweden’s sunniest spot for themselves.

“As the seasons change, so do the ways we live. When the sunlight and warmth return after winter, people across Sweden move outdoors,” says Linda Vikström, Communications Manager at IKEA Sweden.

“We want to help as many people as possible make the most of life outside. Identifying and marking Sweden’s sunniest square metre is part of that ambition.”

IKEA used SARAH-3, a high-resolution satellite-based climate database containing information about solar radiation analysed by boffins at the Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute.

Between 2005 and 2025, the location averaged 2,137 sunshine hours per year – equivalent to nearly six hours of sunshine per day throughout the year. That’s a heck of a lot for Sweden.

If you’re planning a visit, the site is south-west of Burgsvik, located on southern Gotland. Yes, of course it’s a bonkers publicity stunt but it’s not an AI fever dream and, admit it, you want to go see it.

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