Sweden have been one of the most impressive teams at the Women's World Cup, after they eliminated back-to-back world champions USA as well as Japan, who had hitherto set the tournament alight.
They now find themselves in a semifinal for the second tournament in a row, as well as for the third time since 2011, showing the country has a great pedigree at the biggest tournament of all.
Reaching a semifinal is one thing, being able to win the World Cup is another matter entirely, with only four countries in the history of the Women's World Cup ever having the honour of lifting the trophy.
Is Sweden one of those countries? What is their record at the World Cup since it's inception in 1991? The Sporting News takes a look.
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Have Sweden ever won the World Cup?
While Sweden have qualified for every World Cup and reached the semifinals on five occasions — including this edition — they have never gone on to win the tournament.
Three of their previous appearances in the final four saw them lose the match and be forced to settle for third place, such as in 2019 where they lost to the Netherlands in extra time, as well as 2011 and back in 1991 – the first ever Women's World Cup.
The only time they have won a semifinal was in 2003, when they came from behind to defeat Canada 2-1 to set up a final with fellow European side, Germany.
However the tournament would ultimately end in heartbreak, as the German's would ultimately win the final 2-1 thanks to a golden goal.
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Sweden best finish at Women's World Cup
That appearance in the final in 2003 represents Sweden's best ever finish at the World Cup, and the only time to date they have reached the fina – although that could all change when they take on Spain in the semifinal on August 15.
They have always been strong competitors at the World Cup, with three semifinal appearances, two finishes in the quarterfinals and a finish in the Round of 16, they can always be expected to make the knockout stages of the tournament.
While their longest run was in 2003, the editions where they have won the most games actually occurred in 2011 and 2019, where they won five games in each on the way to a third placed finish.
A win in one of their last two World Cup games this year — the semifinal and either the final or third placed playoff — would see them equal that record.
SWEDEN ADVANCES TO SEMIS 🥳🇸🇪
— Men in Blazers (@MenInBlazers) August 11, 2023
Conqueror of USWNT shut down 🇯🇵 early on, survives late pressure to win 2-1. 🇸🇪 eliminated 🇯🇵 in quarterfinals at Tokyo Olympics, rinse & repeat at WWC. Now guaranteed there will be a 1st-time world champion. pic.twitter.com/PHq0gBPgpt
Sweden World Cup history and results
As mentioned above, Sweden's World Cup record is one of the best in the world, with consistent achievement and appearances at the latter stages of the tournament.
Only once has the country failed to make it out of the group stages, and that came in 2007.
A surprise draw against Nigeria in their opening match and a loss to the USA left them in a perilous position before their final group match against North Korea, where they needed to win by three clear goals to progress.
They managed a victory, but could only muster a scoreline of 2-1, meaning Sweden went home, which also meant they failed to qualify for the 2008 Olympics.
| Year | Result | Record (W-D-L) |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | Third place | 4-0-2 |
| 1995 | Quarterfinals | 2-1-1 |
| 1999 | Quarterfinals | 2-0-2 |
| 2003 | Runners-up | 4-0-2 |
| 2007 | Group stage | 1-1-1 |
| 2011 | Third place | 5-0-1 |
| 2015 | Round of 16 | 0-3-1 |
| 2019 | Third place | 5-0-2 |
| 2023 | Semifinals* | 4-1-0 |
*Denotes tournament still in progress
