Women’s Euro 2025 Team Previews | Sweden
Form has been right on Sweden’s side lately with no defeats since July last year. After reaching the semi-finals in their last three major tournaments, can Sweden go and win this time?
For a long time, Sweden has been one of the most consistent international sides in all of women’s football. It’s very rare that they fail to progress further than the group stages, but does this year pose a big challenge for Peter Gerhardsson’s experienced team?
Sweden have made it to at least the semi-final stages of the last three major tournaments they have appeared at (2019 World Cup, 2022 Euros, 2023 World Cup), and now it feels like they have put the disappointment of not reaching the Olympics firmly behind them. Also, their qualifying campaign for these European Championships wasn’t as good as they would have wanted after missing out in their group behind France and England.
The playoffs though were not a problem for the Swedes as they easily despatched Luxembourg and Serbia to reach their twelfth Euros tournament. Since being beaten by France in their penultimate qualifying group game, Sweden have gone unbeaten in ten games and subsequently went unbeaten in their recent Nations League group to reach the semi-finals of that competition.
Group C opponents and fixtures:
Denmark | 4th July - 5PM BST
Poland | 8th July - 8PM BST
Germany | 12th July - 8PM BST
Facing Denmark and Poland in their first two group games works out well for Sweden and gives them a great chance to put a marker down and make a statement in the process, and say they are ones to watch, especially considering they scored six against Denmark in one of their most recent internationals. Plus many of us would be likelier to rate them a little bit less than the likes of Spain, Germany or England for example.
Squad:
Goalkeepers | Tove Enblom (Vålerenga), Jennifer Falk (BK Häcken), Emma Holmgren (Levante)
Defenders | Jonna Andersson (Linköping), Nathalie Björn (Chelsea), Magdalena Eriksson (Bayern Munich), Smilla Holmberg (Hammarby), Amanda Ilestedt (Arsenal), Hanna Lundkvist (San Diego Wave), Amanda Nildén (Tottenham Hotspur), Linda Sembrant (Bayern Munich)
Midfielders | Filippa Angeldahl (Real Madrid), Kosovare Asllani (London City Lionesses), Hanna Bennison (Juventus), Julia Zigiotti Olme (Bayern Munich)
Forwards | Stina Blackstenius (Sweden), Rebecka Blomqvist (Eintracht Frankfurt), Lina Hurtig (Fiorentina), Sofia Jakobsson (London City Lionesses), Madelen Janogy (Fiorentina), Fridolina Rolfö (Barcelona), Johanna Rytting Kaneryd (Chelsea), Ellen Wangerheim (Hammarby)
Sweden have one of the most experienced squads at next month’s European Championships, with many of their players having over a century of international caps to their name. With the strong showings they have had at previous tournaments, it’s helped to build a real strong core group who may now be at a point where they need some major success to define them.
The likes of Kosovare Asllani, Fridolina Rolfö, Linda Sembrandt, Magdalena Eriksson, Sofia Jakobson and Stina Blackstenius have been so heavily relied on in the Swedish women’s national team for a long time now. But much of that is still because of how all of them are still able to perform well at a high level.
In terms of their youth within the squad. Ellen Wangerheim is someone who should have one or two eyes on her with the 20-year-old set for her first major international tournament after impressing with Hammarby and making her international debut back in April. Her performances have been getting a bit of attention from clubs across Europe as well.
Player to Watch - Fridolina Rolfö
There are a few players that could be picked out to watch when we consider the fact that so many of them are players we have become used to seeing be very influential in this Swedish national side. Fridolina Rolfö is one of those players who has managed to deliver at both ends of the pitch in this team, even if her role with Sweden is a bit more advanced than it is at Barcelona.
With the Liga F champions, she is usually utilised as an attacking left-back whereas with Sweden, she is more or less an out-and-out winger at times. She scored three goals in six games at the World Cup two years ago. Plus, she has two goals this year over the six Nations League games.
Rolfö plays such an important role in being able to impact things up front for her nation and the expectation is that should continue again, unless a late injury she suffered in the run up to the tournament derails that. Her impact on the team has become pretty crucial over the years, so they will hope she can offer something once again for them.
Manager - Peter Gerhardsson
The Swedish head coach has been in charge of the national side since 2017, where he has done well in guiding them through many tournaments towards the latter stages. But he hasn’t had any trophy success in his time at the helm, with the closest taste of success being a silver medal at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 and two third-place finishes at the World Cup.
These European Championships will be the last chance he will have to win something with Sweden, as earlier this year, Gerhardsson announced that he would be stepping down as head coach. He had spoken about stepping down after the Euros, but plans may have changed, and he may now stay on until the conclusion of Sweden’s Nations League campaign.
His team more often than not will set up in a 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1 formation, but he has spoken at times previously about wanting to not see his side become ‘too predictable’. If this is to be his last major tournament with Sweden, then he will want to make sure it goes well. But ultimately, he will want it to be successful.
How will they do?
41 years is how long it has been since Sweden had any success at tournaments, and it just so happened to be the first Women’s European Championships back in 1984. As said already, they won’t be backed by many to go all the way in Switzerland. But that shouldn’t mean that they be underestimated.
Sweden can beat anybody on their day, but they will have to be at their best just to get out of Group C and past Germany, Denmark and Poland. They’ve proven they can dispatch their Scandinavian rivals when playing as good as they can do. Also, Poland are a nation that they have a perfect record against, so they will expect to beat them easily. It could come down to that third group game v Germany for top spot, which may then affect their potential route to a fifth Euros finals, and first since 2001.
Their longevity of consistency will always make them a well-regarded team. But does there ever come a point where they do get over the line and win a trophy? Euro 2025 feels like the last opportunity potentially for a few of them. So they are going to want to avoid any sort of heartbreak once again.