Women's World Cup 2015: Sweden Team Guide
The 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup in Canada is just 11 days away, and Sweden coach Pia Sundhage is fine-tuning her squad in preparation for their first game against Nigeria on June 8.
Sweden are ranked fifth in the world and take on debutants Netherlands on Saturday in their final warm-up match, and Sundhage will be hoping for a positive display to take confidence into what could be a difficult group stage.
USA start favourites to win Group D, but if Sweden are hoping to at least equal 2011's third-place finish, they know finishing second will make their task much more difficult.
The Road to Canada
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Sweden’s journey to Canada was fairly straightforward. The Scandinavian side won all 10 of their group games and only conceded once while scoring 32 times.
One concern for Sundhage will be how close they came to dropping points a few times, plus the fact that second-place Scotland scored five more goals than they managed in the same amount of games.
UEFA Qualifying Group 4
 Sweden | 10 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 32 | 1 | +31 | 30 | ||
 Scotland | 10 | 8 | 0 | 2 | 37 | 8 | +29 | 24 | ||
 Poland | 10 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 20 | 14 | +6 | 16 | ||
 Bosnia and Herzegovina | 10 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 7 | 19 | −12 | 9 | ||
 Northern Ireland | 10 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 3 | 19 | −16 | 5 | ||
 Faroe Islands | 10 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 3 | 41 | −38 | 2 |
Top Scorers
Lotta Schelin, 12 goals; Kosovare Asllani, 6; Lina Nilsson, 4; Caroline Seger, 3; Emma Lundh, 3
Fixtures
September 21, 2013: Sweden 2-0 Poland
Goals: Seger (52'), Schelin (66')
October 26, 2013: Bosnia and Herzegovina 0-1 Sweden
Goals: Schelin (34')
October 30, 2013: Sweden 5-0 Faroe Islands
Goals: Schelin (12' pen, 30'), Ilestedt (14'), Asllani (18'), Hjohlman (59')
April 5, 2014: Northern Ireland 0-4 Sweden
Goals: Asllani (8' pen), Schelin (18'), Lundh (84'), Nilsson (87')
May 8, 2014: Sweden 3-0 Northern Ireland
Goals: Sjogran (12'), Seger (28'), Nilsson (74')
June 14, 2014: Scotland 1-3 Sweden
Goals: Little (19' pen)
Seger (13'), Asllani (27', 52')
June 19, 2014: Faroe Islands 0-5 Sweden
Goals: Seger (11'), Schough (19'), Schelin (35', 50'), Lundh (84')
August 21, 2014: Poland 0-4 Sweden
Goals: Schelin (8', 71'), Asllani (56'), Sembrant (89')
September 13, 2014: Sweden 3-0 Bosnia and Herzegovina
Goals: Nilsson (5'), Schelin (45+2, 73')
September 17, 2014: Sweden 2-0 Scotland
Goals: Sjogran (7'), Schelin (76')
Squad List
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The final 23-player squad was announced on 11 May:
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Coach Profile: Pia Sundhage
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Pia Sundhage is a legendary figure, not just in Swedish football. For the advancements in the global women’s game, look no further than the woman who will lead Sweden to Canada this summer.
Group D looks very interesting with Sundhage in charge. She was previously the head coach of the United States and is credited with being the coach that helped turn them around. She improved team harmony and is a huge factor in their group rivals being a favourite to win the World Cup this summer.
After making her international debut at just 15 years old, she went on to make 146 caps for her country and was part of the squad that finished third in the first-ever World Cup back in 1991.
Sundhage is known for bursting into song during team meetings and press conferences—the U.S. team gave her a guitar as a leaving present. Cool, calm and collected, she has no problem changing a team’s philosophy to get the best out of them.
It happened with the USA. Now she hopes her changes can help the Blagult go all the way this summer.
If her outspoken personality and penchant for a song wasn’t enough to endear you to Sundhage, when the USA won gold at the 2008 Olympics, she declined an invitation to the White House as she disagreed with George W. Bush’s politics.
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Star Player: Lotta Schelin
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Over the last 11 years, Lotta Schelin has become the on-field symbol for Swedish football. The 31-year-old has played in no less than eight major international tournaments, and she will once again play a huge part in Canada.
On the road to qualification, the Lyon forward scored 12 goals in 10 games, double the amount of next top scorer Kosovare Asllani. When Sweden need someone to step up, they look towards Schelin—more often than not, she responds.
In France, she has won numerous titles and accolades over the past seven seasons, helping Lyon become a powerhouse in the domestic game.
Schelin is tall, but quick. She is unselfish and has an air of class when in possession. The 31-year-old has a knack for being in the right place at the right time and even when you don’t expect it, she always knows where the goal is.
One to Watch: Caroline Seger
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If Schelin is the sheriff of the Swedish national team, Paris Saint-Germain’s Caroline Seger is her deputy. Although rivals at club level, they are on the same page when they pull on that famous yellow jersey.
Seger is that ideal mix of hard work and leadership, but influential in the final third. Sundhage's changes to the Swedish system were made in order to get the best out of the midfielder. In qualification, she scored five in nine games, and she goes into the World Cup fired up for success.
In May, PSG qualified for the UEFA Women’s Champions League final against Frankfurt, but a questionable yellow card in the second leg against Wolfsburg ruled her out of the showpiece event—PSG lost 2-1 in injury time.
In an interview with Le Parisien (in French) just after signing for PSG, she was quick to distance any obvious comparisons with Zlatan Ibrahimovic, suggesting that the only player she should be compared to is herself.
Help Sweden's life in the World Cup, and it will be Ibrahimovic who is looking up to Seger.
World Cup Record
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1991: China—Third Place
After beating the hosts 1-0 in the quarter-finals, they lost 4-1 to Norway but claimed a third-place finish with a 4-0 win over Germany.
1995: Sweden—Quarter-Finalists
Four years later, China got their revenge, beating the hosts 4-3 on penalties in the quarter-finals.
1999: USA—Quarter-Finalists
In an all-Scandinavian quarter-final, Norway got the better of the Swedes, knocking them out with a 3-1 victory.
2003: USA—Runners-up
It was heartbreak in the USA for the Swedes. After beating Brazil and Canada by two goals to one, they would lose in the final to Germany by the same scoreline.
Hanna Ljungberg gave the Swedes a lead in the first half, but they conceded straight after the break, and Nia Kunzer scored the winner in extra time.
2007: China—Group Stage; 3rd, Group B
Despite beating North Korea 2-1 in the final group game, Sweden were eliminated on goals scored.
2011: Germany—Third place
Following an impressive 3-1 victory over Australia in the quarter-finals, Sweden fell 3-1 to the eventual winners, Japan.
They would beat France 2-1 to secure third place.
Group Fixtures
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So much of Sweden’s World Cup hopes will come down to the meeting between them and the USA in Winnipeg.
Finishing second in Group D would likely set up a last-16 tie with Brazil. At that stage of the competition, it would be a tough assignment for either side.
Top spot would hand you a tie against one of the third-place finishers and likely passage to the quarter-finals.
Sweden vs. Nigeria
June 8, 2015, 15:00 local time
Winnipeg Stadium, Winnipeg, Manitoba
USA vs. Sweden
June 12, 2015, 19:00 local time
Winnipeg Stadium, Winnipeg, Manitoba
Australia vs. Sweden
June 16, 2015, 18:00 local time
Commonwealth Stadium, Edmonton, Alberta
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