Sofia Jakobsson and Hanna Lundkvist to Play For Sweden in EURO Qualifiers
Don’t miss the action as Sweden faces off against England at Wembley Stadium on Friday, April 5 at 12:00 PM PT to kick off the qualifiers.
San Diego Wave FC revealed that midfielder Sofia Jakobsson and defender Hanna Lundkvist will represent the Sweden Women’s National Team in the 2024 Women’s European Qualifiers. Sweden enters Group A3, competing against England, France, and the Republic of Ireland.
The action kicks off on Friday, April 5, with Sweden facing England at Wembley Stadium at 12:00 PM. PT in the opening qualifier. Then, Sweden will welcome France to Gamla Ullevi Stadium in Gothenburg, Sweden, on Tuesday, April 9, at 10:00 AM PT.
Jakobsson became a part of the San Diego Wave before the team’s debut season in 2022. Since then, she has played in 38 matches (starting 22) for San Diego, contributing four goals and five assists throughout her NWSL journey.
Lundkvist, who arrived at the Wave in February from Atlético, played 23 matches during her three seasons with the club. Beginning her professional journey in 2018 with Djurö-Vindö IF, her hometown club, she later joined Hammarby in 2019. During her two seasons there, she scored six goals in 66 appearances.
At the international level, Jakobsson has represented Sweden since 2011, earning her first senior cap in May and securing a spot on the FIFA World Cup roster that same year. With 144 caps to her name, she has participated in four World Cups and three Olympics for Sweden.
Lundkvist debuted for the Swedish national team with the U-23 side in September 2021. Within a year, she received a call-up to the senior national team for a friendly against Australia and made her debut in February 2023. Although initially selected for the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup squad in June 2023, Lundkvist was later withdrawn due to injury.
About the European Qualifiers
The European Qualifiers are composed of a league stage and final tournament play-offs, where the league stage splits teams into three leagues: League A with 16 teams, League B with 16 teams and League C with 19 teams. Each team’s starting league position is determined based on the results of the Nations League. Teams compete in groups of four or three teams (League C) and over six match days, with each team playing one home match and one away match against all the other teams in their group.
The ultimate goals of this phase are to qualify for the UEFA Women’s EURO (or the FIFA Women’s World Cup) and to be positioned as high as possible in the league system for the next cycle. The European Qualifiers ranking at the end of the league stage determines three main outcomes: who qualifies directly for the final tournament, who goes into the play-offs for the final tournament, and what starting league position teams will have in the upcoming Nations League. Depending on the league standings, teams will either maintain their position in the league or be automatically promoted or relegated.
