Everything You Want to Know About the Swedish Women's National Team
or at least some of it! Also musing on the legacy of the Swedish WNT and what it means to me
The Swedish women’s national team was an early staple in my life. As a football-playing young girl from the countryside, we would go on team trips to the big city, foam fingers and Swedish flags in hand, to watch the women’s side play international games at Gamla Ullevi. Happy memories, so innocent and playful in their nature, yet also fundamentally part of shaping us, showing us that women get to take up space too.
Sweden has always qualified for tournaments, always done quite well in tournaments, albeit during the reign of Germany, Japan and the US it was hard getting a foot in. It has been possible to follow their journey as at least some of the games were available to watch on accessible TV channels. Sweden even hosted the Euros in 2013, gaining wide praise from UEFA for engaging huge crowds (216 888 people compared to 129 000 people for the 2009 Euros) with 41 301 people in the crowd for the final in Stockholm.
(I didn’t attend any games, as a petulant teenager without any football friends and a long commute, I had fallen out of playing football like literally every other teenage girl 💔)
Girls playing football are still being held back in insidious ways, also in Sweden. They still get comments on their abilities, their sexuality, communicated through words and action. The likes of Victoria Sandell Svensson, Hanna Ljungberg, Lotta Schelin, Linda Sembrant, Hedvig Lindahl, Caroline Seger and Nilla Fischer all stayed with me, even during my inactive years, as these record-breaking football icons, many of whom are also queer icons, have served as lighthouses for many young girls and women. It’s been so important to have visible defiance in the shape of these players who has showed us (continues to show us) on and off the pitch, that whatever other people say it simply isn’t true.
Clearly, women can play football. Clearly, there’s a demand to see women’s football. I’m so grateful to all of these trailblazers who have taken up space, practiced to become the best football players they could be alongside part-time jobs and childcare responsibilities, who have taken the fight and answered hundreds of questions post-match/pre-match/at training camps about equality and women’s rights while male players could just coast through a chat about tactics and leave it at that.
Who are not resting on their laurels but continue to strive for better, for all.
WHO IS THIS LOW-KEY AUDACIOUS SWEDISH TEAM?
Now let’s look at the current squad that Sweden has to offer. The contemporary Swedish team is a mixture of youth and experience, led by 37 year-old captain Caroline Seger (FC Rosengård), the midfielder who missed the penalty that lost Sweden the Olympics gold last year, who will go into her thirteenth international tournament, and Hedvig Lindahl (currently between clubs) who has represented Sweden for 20 years (since 2002.) At the other end of the spectrum we have Hanna Bennison (Everton), the 19 year-old who was voted NXGN best young player 2021 and went to Everton for a record-breaking deal, alongside a few other young and exciting first-timers. It’s this amalgam of player types that look hopeful for a successful run in this summer’s Euros.
Sweden has a very fast-paced team and love to hit their opponents on the counterattack, with good options down the wing to get the ball into the box. They’re good at set-plays and are incredibly strong in the air, with the likes of Lina Hurtig (Juventus) always ready to head it in. For being a country with a population of only 10M people, manager Peter Gerhardsson had his work cut out for him when it came to selecting the final 23, as they’ve got a lot of competitiveness for the starting spots within the squad and many talented players who were left out of the selection as well. The community sense is strong within the team, and many of these players have now played together across several tournaments under Gerhardsson. Winning a tournament has been just beyond their reach however, frustrating them for several years now, although one could argue that that’s exactly what they’ve steadily been working towards and that it is indeed their time now.
STAND-OUT/HYPED PLAYERS:
Fridolina Rolfö (FC Barcelona) - one of the superstars in the squad, EVERYONE KNOWS HER, as they should since she’s been brilliant for Barca on that left wing, which she flies down with her long limbs and a seemingly effortless crossing-game and many assists to her name. She’s got an eye for goal as well however, and pull one out when least expected. On top of that she’s got that good energy around her, always with a smile on her face.
Stina Blackstenius (Arsenal) - Damallsvenskan’s top goalscorer went abroad in the January window, joining Jonas Eidevall’s Gunners where she slotted right in, quickly making a great impression and some contributions with racked up six goals in 11 WSL games and four goals in nine Champion’s League games. It’ll be exciting to see what she can do with Sweden.
Hedvig Lindahl - her experience is unparalleled, but it remains to be seen whether Gerhardsson will have faith in the now free agent to start between the posts, or if it will be any of the other two keepers, Jennifer Falk (BK Häcken) or Zecira Musovic (Chelsea), who have both had fine seasons in their respective clubs.
Magdalena Eriksson (Chelsea) - defensive rock who just won the English league, with the title race decided on the last match-day in dramatic style, and she’ll be coming into this tournament riding that champions wave. A very decisive player who commanders the pitch and her backline, and who is great with her head, Eriksson plays a pivotal role in the Swedish defense.
BUDDING FLOWERS ABOUT TO BLOOM:
Johanna Rytting Kaneryd (BK Häcken) - she’s been long overdue for a call-up to a major tournament and has been in fine form for her club team, earning her a Player of the Month award for May. Having a lot of 90 minute games in her legs looks promising for the tournament where a lot of the regulars like Kosovare Asllani (currently in-between clubs) and Sofia Jakobsson (San Diego Wave FC) have been lacking in playing time lately due to injuries.
Amanda Nildén (Juventus) - another first timer in the national team’s first team, the defender is by many considered to be the wild card of the squad, but if called upon she can contribute with some strong left-footed crossing into the penalty area.
Hanna Bennisson - the young star has needed some time to acclimatise to the English league, with an added element of chaos around the turnover of coaching staff which plagued Everton’s spring. Given a chance in this squad she’ll be adding fast-paced creativity and attacking flair.
Who will Sweden play in the group stage of the Euros?
9th July - the Netherlands, 13th July - Switzerland, 17th July - Portugal.
Then we hope to see a quarterfinal, semifinal and final added to that :)
Sweden’s Euro kit:
We need to talk about that shirt. Not only the design, which is absolutely gorgeous and balances the fine line/threading the needle of of classy without being boring perfectly, but we need to talk about the messaging embedded in the shirt which absolutely blew everyone’s minds, simply because it’s so audacious/ballsy/stupid.
Sweden’s match analyst Anders Eriksson wrote a comprehensive guide called ‘How To Stop Sweden’ that accompanied the launch of the shirt, printed on a special tag that sits at the top of the neck. In the digital guide there’s coverage of 31 of Sweden’s most prominent players and what to look out for with them.
So. Ballsy.
Years ago I wrote a text on Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s ditch of the Swedish MNT and how that could actually work to their benefit, based on something called The Law of Jante. Basically it’s a mentality that’s very common in Swedish culture, where people scowl at individuals that think too highly of themselves. As you can imagine, Zlatan does not fit into this norm one bit, and he usually gets away with it because he’s an unparalleled football talent, but it does at times create rifts in the Swedish collective when someone is too confident too loudly. This mentality does at times stretch to the collective as well, which is why I was surprised at first when this kit dropped - it was an unusual move to make. Then my next thought was: of course they should do this. Because this team is not about talk, they’re about action, and their actions back up everything, including creating a guide sewn onto their match shirt inviting other teams to beat them on a playing field where they’ve literally been handed the instructions manual.
This tactic is terrifying in its subtleness.
It might not be very Law of Jante but I absolutely love the fact that this team collectively goes against the grain by embracing this attitude, this undercurrent of quiet confidence. They don’t have to be seen the most or scream the loudest, however they’re not downplaying the fact that they have a great team. They’ll simply let their football do the talking.
Tournament energy, brought to you by Asllani after losing against Canada at the Tokyo Olympics:
“I’m so fucking tired of a fucking silver medal”