Sweden's female football players are facing tough European Championship qualifying matches against France and England.
Star player Fridolina Rolfö joins the team gathering after recently making a memorable trip to Zambia.
It's amazing what football has for an impact on people, she says.
On Friday, Sweden will meet France in the qualifying match for the 2025 football European Championship. Four days later, in the last qualifying match, the blue and yellow team will face England.
Two direct spots are at stake, and beforehand, it looks like it will be a battle between the English and Swedish female football players for which team will take the second spot behind France.
Swedish national team star Fridolina Rolfö has had a somewhat different preparation for the national team gathering in Gothenburg. She has recently returned from a trip to Zambia, which she made together with the children's rights organization Plan International Sweden.
Zambia, in the southern part of Africa, is currently severely affected by the worst drought in the country in over 25 years.
"It's about so much more"
It has been educational and tough but hopeful, there is hope despite the fact that they live under incredibly tough conditions. Right now, there is not much water and they don't get food, we went out and distributed food. It's obviously very tough to see people who are undernourished and need acute help, Rolfö explains.
Rolfö, who is an ambassador for the organization, also got the opportunity to visit orphanages and schools – and meet children who themselves dream of playing football.
It's fantastic, it's one of the reasons I love football so much, football has no language. You can enjoy it together regardless of what conditions you have. It's so much joy – and it's about so much more, says Rolfö and continues:
"Crazy spread"
It doesn't matter what your background is, how you look or what your sexual orientation is, football is just football and that's what's so amazing.
In everyday life, Rolfö resides in the big club FC Barcelona – and it turned out that the club is popular even in Zambia.
It's crazy what spread it can have, a club and different players. When we walked on the streets there, you saw people wearing FC Barcelona jerseys. It's amazing what football has for an impact on people, says Rolfö.
Born: November 24, 1993 (30 years old) in Kungsbacka.
Home club: IFK Fjärås.
Current club: FC Barcelona.
Previous clubs: Tölö IF, Jitex, Linköping, Bayern München, Wolfsburg.
Main merits: Olympic silver 2016 and 2021. World Championship bronze 2019 and 2023. U19 European Championship gold 2012. Champions League winner with Barcelona 2023 and 2024. Spanish league champion with Barcelona 2022, 2023, and 2024. Cup winner with Barcelona 2022 and 2024. German league and cup champion with Wolfsburg 2020. Swedish champion with Linköping 2016.
The top two teams go directly to the European Championship in Switzerland 2025. The third and fourth teams will play playoffs in the fall.
The standings in Sweden's group after four out of six rounds:
- France, 9 points (+2 in goal difference), 2) Sweden, 7 points (+3), 3) England, 7 points (+2), 4) Ireland, 0 points (–7).
Remaining matches:
July 12: France–Sweden (21.10, Dijon), England–Ireland (21.00).
July 16: Sweden–England (19.00, Gamla Ullevi), Ireland–France (19.00).
