In recent years, Sweden have had become the team that are always the bridesmaid, never the bride. Sweden will be eager to turn the tables this summer at Euro 2025.
Since their inaugural win of the Women’s European Championship back in 1984, Sweden have come close but never tasted victory again. The side have collected the silver medals three times, in 1987, 1995, and 2001, and bronze four times, in 1989, 1997, 2005, and 2013. In 2022, Sweden finished fourth, after the heavy 4-0 lose to eventual champions England. The side also reached the quarter finals twice, in 2009 and 2017.
One of the big dogs of European and world football, Sweden will look to send long serving head coach Peter Gerhardsson off in style as they search for just their second European title this summer at Euro 2025 in Switzerland.
Sweden’s journey to Euro 2025
A tough qualifying Nations league group saw Sweden finish third, behind both France and England. This meant the side were drawn into the playoffs in order to secure their spot at Euros 2025.
As a seeded side from League A, they were given a relatively easy hand. With a 4-0 and 8-0 thumping against Luxembourg in the first round, the side breezed through with utmost comfort. Young star Evelyn Ijeh scored her first goal for her country in the first whilst Flippa Angeldahl stole the show with three goals across the two legs.
In the second round, the side faced Serbia for a place in the European Championships. In the first leg away in Leskovac, youngsters Hanna Bennison and Rosa Kafaji scored to put the side in good stead in the home leg.
In the second leg, at 3Arena in Stockholm, the side scored 6 to secure their place in Euros 2025. Bennison and Angeldahl were on the scoresheet again, as well as Stina Blackstenius, Kosovare Asslani and Anna Anvegård.
This summer’s tournament will mark the side’s ninth consecutive European Championship appearance, and 17th consecutive major tournament across the World Cup and Euros, dating as far back as the women’s World Cup in 1991.
The last horary for head coach Gerhardsson
Peter Gerhardsson has been at the helm since 2017, when he took over from Swedish great Pia Sundhage after Sweden were knocked out at the quarter final stage of Euros 2017 in the Netherlands.
A player himself, Gerhadsson represented Sweden at youth levels in the 1970s, as well as three appearances at the 1986 Olympics in Athens. For club, he represented Upsala IF, Hammarby IF, Vasalunds and Enköping, in a 15 year career in Sweden. When he hung up his boots in 1992, he quickly fell into mangering men’s teams in the Sweden, including eight years at BK Häcken in the Allvenskan, where he was named best manager in the league by Aftonbladet in 2013.
Since 2017, Gerhadsson has lead the Swedish Women’s National Team to two third place finishes in the Women’s World Cup, and a silver medal in Tokyo at the 2020 Olympics. He also lead the team to a fourth place finish in Euros 2022.
This summer’s tournament will be his last with the Swedish national team after 8 years. His replacement will be Tony Gustavsson, the former Australia Women’s head coach.
Asllani, the Sweden captain with gold on the mind
Kosovare Asllani has never won a major tournament with Sweden. The team’s third most capped player at 196 appearances has two Olympic silver medals and a third place finish in the World Cup, but never gold.
She made her debut for Sweden in 2008, against Romania, in a 2-0 win in European qualifying. In 2009, she was called up to the European Championships in Finland. She would score her first of 48 goals for Sweden in that tournament, in their 2-0 win over Italy.
Euros 2025 will mark Asllani’s fifth Euros, and eighth major tournament for Sweden. Since debuting for the senior team, she has only missed one major tournament, when she was not called up for the 2011 Women’s World Cup in Germany, despite being key in qualifying. It will also be her first major tournament as the official captain of Sweden, after the retirement of Caroline Seger in 2023, alongside Magadelena Eriksson and Linda Sembrant.
Asllani has played for a number of clubs across the world, including stints at Manchester City, Real Madrid and three different stints at Linköping in Sweden. She currently plays for London City Lionesses, who she helped gain promotion from the WSL2 to the Women’s Super League at the end of the 2024/25 campaign.
Asllani has become a key and immoveable force in the Swedish midfield. Her experience for her country is invaluable and it will be in this that she leads from within, as she has always done. In a tournament where she will reach her 200th cap for Sweden, can Asllani finally get the gold?
New Kids on the block: key Swedish players to watch at Euro 2025
Like many countries, Sweden is looking to mix experience with new edge to win gold this summer. Three of those players going to their first major tournament are Hammarby duo Ellen Wangerheim and Smilla Holmberg, and San Diego Waves Hanna Lundkvist.
Technically, this shouldn’t be Lundkvist’s first major tournament but after being forced to withdrawal from the World Cup in 2023 just days before the start, it officially does mark her debut on the international tournament stage. Outisde of the bitter disappointment of missing the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, Lunkdvist has 17 caps for her country.
The fullback has played in three different leagues across the world, despite only being 22 years old. From Hammarby and AIK to Altetico Madrid and now the Wave, Lundkvist has shown her capabilities as a modern and capable fullback across the world. In a backline that has more age than youth, she will be key in alighting some youthful energy for Sweden.
Another fullback hoping to show what she can do in the Sweden backline is Smilla Holmberg. At just 18 years-old, Holmberg’s inclusion in the squad was somewhat of a surprise to many, seeming as she has only made one appearance for the senior team.
But after an incredibly impressive spring season in the Damallsvenskan, it isn’t hard to see why she has been included in the squad set for Switzerland. Another modern fullback, who loves to get forward and help in attack as well as defend, Holmberg has rightful earnt her place in the 23 player squad and her first major tournament.
Her Hammarby teammate Ellen Wangerheim has certainly caught the eyes of many people in the last 12 months. A consistent and reliable striker in the Damallsvenskan, she made her debut for Sweden in the 3-2 win over Italy in the Nations League this year.
A head fast and self assured striker, Wangerheim will definitely be an excellent substitute to Stina Blackstenius this summer. With super subs having won England the title in 2022, will this be Sweden’s time to capitalise on their youthful goalscorer to do the same?
Sweden at Euro 2025
Sweden will take on familiar foe Denmark, newbies Poland and 2022’s runner ups Germany in the group stages. The side beat Denmark 8-2 on aggregate across their two Nations League games this year, including a 6-1 win in May. The last meeting with Germany ended in a 0-0 draw in February 2023, whilst you have to go back to 2021 for the last time they played Poland, a 4-2 win.
All three opponents will look to make qualifying for the knockouts tough for Sweden. But will they be able to better than streak of silver and bronze, and finally get the gold?
