Sweden's Women's Soccer Team Aims to End 41-Year Title Drought

Smaller balls, shorter matches and a pitch that most resembled a clay pit. 1984 Sweden took its so far only gold in a major championship. When the women's football team 41 years later will try to break the title drought, a lot has happened with the sport.

» Published: July 15 2025 at 05:30

Sweden's Women's Soccer Team Aims to End 41-Year Title Drought
Photo: UPI/TT

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The plan would never have been approved by a referee today, not a chance, notes Inger "Tummen" Arnesson.

The goalkeeper, who made her first national team match as an outfield player in 1973, refers to the "plan" at Kenilworth Road in Luton where the return match in England was played.

Return match?

Yes, the first official European Championship in 1984 was played that way. After an all-Nordic qualifying round, Sweden went to the final round where the matches were decided in two-legged matches. After winning against Italy in the semi-final, Sweden won the first final at Nya Ullevi with 1–0, before it was time for the return match north of London.

The Leråker final

Women's football was not that big in England. We were a bit pushed aside. We thought "Are we going to play on this pitch?", but there was not much to do.

The match, which has come to be called the "Leråker final", became a thriller that had to be decided on penalties.

I remember that when Pia Sundhage was going to take her decisive penalty, Elisabeth (Leidinge) said to Pia "shoot as hard as you can, or else the ball won't make it", says Arnesson.

The rest is, as they say, history.

"Typical guys"

But it was not just the mud that was different from today's more golf green-like pitches. They also played shorter matches – each half was 35 minutes – and with a smaller ball.

We didn't have a smaller ball in Sweden, so we were about to kick our knees off, I was about to say. Nobody understood why. We girls didn't even know until the tournament started, says Anette Börjesson, Sweden's team captain, and continues:

No one was satisfied with the shorter playing time. We still ask ourselves why it was like that. We don't know. Typical guys, we thought, to decide over us.

When the European Championship is now to be decided in Switzerland, all players in the Swedish squad are professionals and can count on bonuses after the championship. In 1984, reality was something entirely different.

We got food and didn't starve, at least, laughs Eva Andersson and continues:

It's absolutely fantastic that the players can make a living from their sport today.

In the qualifying round, Sweden was pitted against Finland, Iceland, and Norway in an all-Nordic group stage. Sweden won the group with ease after six straight wins.

After the group stage, the final round and semi-final with a two-legged match against Italy awaited. Sweden won 3-2 away in Rome and 2-1 at home in Linköping.

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By TTEnglish edition by Sweden Herald, adapted for local and international readers
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