After a rocky qualifying campaign, a changing team and a growing injury list, Sweden’s women are now beginning to look more like a side capable of making it to the World Cup in Brazil 2027. One teenage striker in particular is leading the surge, as Felicia Schröder finally managed to open her scoring balance for the national team. We saw the team truly enjoying themselves at Strawberry Arena and bring you the pictures and the story.
A 15-goal statement – but the real test is still ahead
Sweden really sent out a message at Strawberry Arena on the 13th of October, but it was not just the scoreline that mattered. A commanding 10-0 victory over Lithuania, following a 5-0 win earlier in Kaunas, sent the blue-and-yellow team through the first round of the World Cup play-offs with a staggering score of 15-0 on aggregate. It was a strong showing from the team, who have spent recent times searching for consistency. It was also a clear reminder of just how much firepower Sweden has, as six different players got on the scoresheet.
The job is of course not done yet, and beating Lithuania with these convincing numbers does not mean the next step will be easy. One more play-off round stands between the Swedes and a place at the 2027 Women’s World Cup in Brazil. They will be facing Scotland, who will undoubtedly offer much stronger resistance.
The Nations League campaign gone wrong
Sweden were pretty much expected to be heading towards Brazil through the direct route by winning their qualifying group in Nations League. But the team struggled by dropping points against Serbia and losing twice to Denmark. A draw with Italy in the final group match meant Sweden ended up in the third place of their group, which left them facing the long road of play-offs. For a team accustomed to competing for medals in the top tournaments, the results have been a reality check.
A new coach and a changing of the guard
Tony Gustavsson took over a team in transition, where many experienced stars were either retiring or injured, and younger players were expected to step up very quickly. Early results led to plenty of criticism for his tactical choices and squad selections, as he was mixing things up many times from game to game. The debate was particularly heated after the poor qualifying results and Gustavsson himself acknowledged that he understood the criticism after the defeat to Denmark. There are now encouraging signs that the message has got through.
The Lithuania matches have brought a more decisive attacking approach, greater contributions from the young guard, and a sense that the team is beginning to find a clearer identity in its current form. It’s of course too early to declare that all the problems are solved after beating this much lower-ranked opponent, but the direction sure looks promising.
The injury list has been long, but he talent pool is deeper
During this rebuilding phase of the team Sweden has also had to deal with key players taken out by injuries. Team captain Kosovare Asslani has been sidelined by a knee injury (she actually joined the team for practice now during her rehab), while Johanna Rytting Kaneryd is out with an ACL injury she drew in practice just before debuting for her new team OL Lyonnes. Fridolina Rolfö is also unavailable, having just announced her pregnancy. These are significant losses in experience, creativity and attacking power.
There has however been a welcome boost with the return of Nathalie Björn, who made her comeback to the squad after 311 days away from international football in Kaunas for the first Lithuania match. Her return brings much needed experience to the defence that has had to adapt to a lot of changes after several members of the experienced defence line retired recently. Goalkeeper Zećira Mušović also made a long-awaited return between the goal posts after 679 days away from play in the national team, after her pregnancy and maternal leave.
Felicia Schröder has truly arrived
The breakout star of Sweden’s recent campaign has been Felicia Schröder, the 19-year-old forward who made headlines as the most expensive transfer in women’s football to date when she moved to Real Madrid for this season. She has been generating a lot of excitement after her impressive start with her club team. Her international breakthrough has been taking more time, as she was yet to score in her 11 previous national team matches before meeting Lithuania in Kaunas. She opened her senior international goal tally with a penalty, and added two more to complete her hat-trick.
She followed that up with a further two goals in the return fixture at Strawberry Arena. These goals have offered a glimpse of what Sweden might build around in the coming years: a natural finisher who looks comfortable taking responsibility.
But Schröder is not the only young player making an impact, with the likes of Smilla Holmberg, Matilda Vinberg and Bella Andersson offering fresh energy. Sweden needs goals, confidence and a new generation ready to take on the world, and it sure looks like we’ve got all the ingredients for that.
Scotland the next hurdle on the way to the World Cup
Sweden will meet Scotland for a decisive two-leg play-off, where the winner will secure a place in the World Cup. The first match will be in Scotland on 1st December and the second one in Stockholm on the 5th of December (at 3Arena this time). Unlike Lithuania, Scotland will be able to punish lapses in concentration and make Sweden really work for every chance. They have shown resilience in their campaign, beating Czechia in their first round play-off, and Sweden will need to step up their defences.
Scotland brings strong players many of the Swedes will know from their club sides in the WSL, including Nathalie Björn‘s Chelsea team mate Erin Cuthbert, who has also just made a return after a knee injury. But Scotland’s superstar captain Caroline Weir pulled out of their second Czechia game after an injury during warm-up.
For Gustavsson the challenge will be to carry the confidence Team Sweden has built from the Lithuania victories into facing a stronger opponent putting much more pressure on the Swedes.
Brazil is well within reach
The two matches against Lithuania have given Team Sweden some much needed momentum and self-confidence. Hopefully the difficult months of qualifying have been just a part of the team’s transition struggles.
There are still issues for the new coach, especially with balancing the youth and the experience. But we have a group of young players growing in confidence, a returning pillar of defence, and the teenage striker who is ready to show what she’s truly made of.
The road to Brazil is open for Sweden to take. After a year of missing the beats they are finally finding their rhythm. Let’s hope they’ll be ready to dance the samba in Rio next summer.
All photos © Nina Uddin
