Power Challenge, a Swedish football (well, ok, soccer) online gaming firm, has raised $8 million in its first round of funding. The round was led by Benchmark Capital.  The investment will be used to fund development of “new titles, enhance the quality of existing games and expand the company’s global infrastructure”.

The company has two online soccer multiplayer games: Power Challenge and ManagerZone, and says is currently adding more than 4,000 new players each day. All games are free to play, with premium add-on services. The compay is expanding into U.S. and will add more sports soon. It was founded in 2004 by Johan Christenson, Swedish gaming entrepreneur (chairman of GlobalFun, among others). The company, which is headquartered in Karlskrona, Sweden, merged with ManagerZone in 2007.