Who are the out LGBTQ+ Swedish players confirmed to be playing in the 2025 Euros?
Lina Hurtig, Julia Zigiotti Olme and Jennifer Falk are some of Sweden’s out LGBTQ+ 2025 Euro squad. (Getty)
Lina Hurtig, Julia Zigiotti Olme and Jennifer Falk are some of Sweden's out LGBTQ+ 2025 Euro squad. (Getty)
The UEFA Women’s Euro 2025 is set to be a tournament full of LGBTQ+ footy stars and there are numerous out queer players on Sweden’s national team who will be taking to the pitch.
Sweden finished behind France and England in their qualifying group. They sailed through the play-offs with a 12-0 win over Luxembourg and 8-0 of Serbia.
Their first Group C match was on Friday (4 July) against Denmark, where they won 1-0.
Swedish manager Peter Gerhardsson has high hopes for his team as they reached the semi-finals in each of their last three major tournaments.
If they make it through their next Group C matches against Poland (on Tuesday 8 July) and Germany (on Saturday 12 July) they’ll be in the semi-finals, which take place in Zurich and Geneva on July 22 and 23. Then, the final will be held in Basel on July 27.
Women’s professional football has consistently demonstrated a significant lead over the men’s game in terms of LGBTQ+ representation.
The 2023 Women’s World Cup and Euro 2025 qualifiers were no exception, with a record number of out LGBTQ+ footballers taking to the pitch.
Here’s a guide to the out LGBTQ+ players on the Swedish 2025 Euros squad.
Filippa Angeldahl
Filippa Angeldahl, a midfielder for the Spanish Liga F club Real Madrid, has been playing football since she was six.
The 27-year-old made her debut for the senior Swedish team at the 2018 Algarve Cup. Angeldahl made her Olympic debut in the 2020 Summer Olympics and was also selected for the Swedish squad for the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023.
In 2024, Angeldahl shared that she had become a mother with her partner, FIFA-licensed agent Megan Brakes. The pair have shared many adorable posts as a couple and with their child, Mina.
Hanna Bennison
Hanna Bennison will certainly be one to watch. At just 22, she already has a decorated career. In 2020, she was named by UEFA as one of the 10 most promising young players in Europe.
The next year, she won the GOAL NXGN Award as the best young female footballer in the world.
Bennison is in a relationship with Swedish football manager and head coach of Scottish club Celtic, Elena Sadiku.
Though the pair have not confirmed how long they’ve been dating, it seems they’ve been close for a number of years now.
In a 2022 post from Sadiku, she included a pic of her hugging Bennison and in the caption she shared: “I’ve had an amazing summer with people I love and people that have giving me the best time!”
Furthermore, in 2023, the pair vacationed together with Bennison posting several snaps that included Sadiku.
Nathalie Björn
Chelsea defender Nathalie Björn has been in the Swedish squad for nearly a decade. She made her first appearance in 2016. She has made 71 appearances for Sweden and, despite being a defender, has scored six goals for her country.
With Chelsea, she has experience with lifting a trophy. Björn was part of the squad that won their fifth consecutive title in the Women’s Super League.
Björn is in a relationship with Italian footballer Aurora Galli. The pair are very cute online and regularly share posts about each other’s success.
On Galli’s birthday, Björn posted: “Happy birthday my love. You truly are one of a kind and I’m so grateful for experiencing life with you.”
Magdalena Eriksson
Magdalena ‘Magda’ Eriksson signed to Chelsea in 2017 and made waves in her six years at the club. She became captain in 2019, won five Women’s Super League titles, reached the UEFA 2021 finals, and also was named Swedish Footballer of the Year in 2020.
From her impressive stats, Eriksson is regarded as one of the best central defenders in Europe
Eriksson has been open about her lesbian identity throughout her football career. Since 2014, she has been in a relationship with top Danish footballer Pernille Harder.
They went viral for their post-match kiss at the 2019 Women’s World Cup. The pair got engaged in 2024, after a decade together, and have cemented themselves as key voices in LGBTQ+ advocacy and LGBTQ+ rights in sport.
Together, the couple work with the charity Common Goal and, since 2019, have given 1% of their salaries to help tackle social issues throughout football.
Jennifer Falk
Jennifer Falk plays a crucial role on the Swedish team: she serves as their goalkeeper. Falk also became the team’s regular player in goal during the 2023 World Cup.
The 32-year-old made an impression when, during the qualifications for the Euro 2022, Sweden’s regular goalkeeper Hedvig Lindahl was injured. Falk took to the pitch for the squad’s last four qualifying games and kept four clean sheets.
Like Magdalena Eriksson and Pernille Harder, Falk and Swedish footballer Pernilla Johansson are also a power couple. In May 2022, they announced they were going to be mothers, and their daughter was born at the end of 2022. Falk posted her first photo with her daughter wearing a football top with her number 13, so cute!
Lina Hurtig
The Swedish players have a thing for club romances, as that is also the case for Lina Hurtig and Lisa Lantz. Additionally, the players were teammates at Umeå IK and Linköping FC and went on to get married in 2019.
In 2021, the pair had a daughter, and in 2024, they had a son. Though they largely keep their children private, they have shared some adorable family photos over the years.
The 29-year-old has been representing Sweden for nine years, first in the country’s under-19 squad in 2014 and then with the senior team since 2017. Hurtig has 27 goals in 60 appearances for her country.
After being part of the Arsenal squad that won the 2024-25 UEFA Champions League, Hurtig announced her retirement from the club, upon the expiry of her contract at the end of the season.
Linda Sembrant
38-year-old Linda Sembrant is a centre back for the Frauen-Bundesliga club Bayern Munich, who has been in Sweden’s senior squad since 2011.
The centre back was loaned to Bayern Munich in 2023, and after winning the Frauen-Bundesliga league in her first season, the club signed her to a new contract.
Sembrant is in a relationship with Italian footballer Lisa Boattin. The pair faced off in Group G of the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, where Sweden won 5-0 against Italy. Though Boattin’s team were knocked out in the group stages, Sweden made it all the way to third place.
Julia Zigiotti Olme
Julia Zigiotti Olme, like Sembrant, plays for Bayern Munich. The 27-year-old forward has previously played for the Damallsvenskan team BK Häcken and the Women’s Super League club Brighton & Hove Albion.
Her senior Swedish team debut occurred in 2018, and the following year, she was selected for the FIFA Women’s World Cup squad. After playing for her country for eight years, she has made 43 appearances with two goals.
Olme is in a relationship with fellow Swedish footballer Emma Kullberg. The couple were teammates at Brighton & Hove Albion, where they both signed an 18-month contract in a double transfer. The pair keep their relationship rather private, but they do post cute couple pics and hang out with the other Swedish football couples.
The UEFA Women’s Euro 2025 tournament will be played in Switzerland from 2 to 27 July 2025. You can read more of our 2025 Women’s Euros coverage here.
