The inaugural UEFA Women’s Europa Cup final will be played over two legs between Swedish rivals Hammarby and Häcken, with the exact dates to be confirmed but the games scheduled for the last weekend of April and first weekend of May.
Both of these sides will be contesting their first European decider, meaning that five different Swedish clubs have now reached a UEFA women’s club competition final (following Umeå, Djurgården and Tyresö), overtaking the previous record of four held by Germany.
Domestically, both league meetings between these sides ended as home wins last season, with Häcken eventually pipping Hammarby to the title. A fortnight after their second leg, they will meet again in the Swedish Cup final on 16 May in Stockholm.
UEFA coefficient ranking (end of 2024/25): 51
How they qualified for Europe: Swedish third place
Road to the final:
Women’s Champions League
Second qualifying round: Semi-finals 5-4 h vs Metalist 1925; Final 0-1 h vs Manchester United
Women’s Europa Cup
Second qualifying round: 5-2agg vs Brann (4-1 h, 1-1 a)
Round of 16: 6-2agg vs Ajax (3-1 a, 3-1 h)
Quarter-finals: 1-1agg, 5-4pens vs Sporting CP (1-0 a, 0-1aet h)
Semi-finals: 5-2agg vs Sparta Praha (3-2 a, 2-0 h)
Women’s Europa Cup top scorer (including qualifying): Ellen Wangerheim 4 (now with Manchester United)
Last season: Women’s Champions League group stage
Previous Women’s Champions League/Women’s Cup best: Group stage (2024/25)
Domestic honours: 2 x league champions, 4 x cup winners
Campaign in a nutshell
After knocking out Benfica to reach the Champions League group stage on their debut last season, Hammarby narrowly lost out to Manchester United in qualifying this term but have taken out more big names during their Europa Cup run. Coincidentally, they eliminated two of Benfica’s fellow 2023/24 Champions League quarter-finalists, Brann and Ajax, with relative comfort.
Despite losing some key players during the Swedish close season, including the prolific Ellen Wangerheim, they found a way past Sporting CP in the quarter-finals, prevailing on penalties in their home second leg after triumphing in Portugal. At Sparta Praha in the last four, they fell behind with seven minutes left but still won 3-2 thanks an an added-time goal by Fanny Peterson. The 16-year-old then opened the scoring with a superb strike as Hammarby triumphed 2-0 at home.
Coach: William Strömberg
Strömberg stepped up to become head coach at the end of 2025 having previously been assistant to the Chicago Stars-bound Martin Sjögren. Before that, he had worked in women’s football as Linköping’s head coach in 2020, when he was also promoted after being the number two.
In men’s football, Strömberg has previous experience with the Djurgården youth set-up and at BK Olympic (a partner club of Malmö), plus assistant roles with Göteborg and Sweden’s Under-16s.
Did you know?
When Hammarby beat 2023/24 quarter-finalists Benfica to qualify for the 2024/25 Women’s Champions League group stage on their European debut, the home leg of that tie attracted 12,062 spectators – a qualifying record crowd until beaten by Brann vs Man Utd this season.
UEFA coefficient ranking (end of 2024/25): 13
How they qualified for Europe: Swedish runners-up
Road to the final:
Women’s Champions League
Third qualifying round: 2-3agg vs Atlético de Madrid (1-1 h, 1-2aet a)
Women’s Europa Cup
Second qualifying round: 7-1agg vs Katowice (4-0 h, 3-1 a)
Round of 16: 1-0agg vs Inter (1-0 h, 0-0 a)
Quarter-finals: 11-1agg vs Breidablik (7-0 h, 4-1 a)
Semi-finals: 3-1agg vs Eintracht Frankfurt (3-0 a, 0-1 h)
Women’s Europa Cup top scorer (including qualifying): Helena Sampaio 5
Last season: Women’s Champions League qualifying round 2
Previous Women’s Champions League/Women’s Cup best: Quarter-finals (2011/12, 2012/13 as Göteborg, 2023/24)
Domestic honours: 2 x league champions (including 1 as Göteborg), 3 x cup winners (all as Göteborg)
Campaign in a nutshell
Häcken were heading for the Champions League group stage until Atlético de Madrid equalised in the tenth minute of added time and went on to triumph, but the Gothenburg side have excelled in this new competition. Although they took 71 minutes to score in their first game against GKS Katowice, Helena Sampaio’s hat-trick set them on the way to comfortable progress.
A fourth-minute own goal in their home first leg against Inter ultimately decided a round of 16 tie in which chances were fairly equal, but Häcken then eased past Breidablik in the last eight, with 18-year-old Felicia Schröder excelling. She did so again with two goals in the Swedish side’s stunning 3-0 win at Frankfurt, and although Häcken’s unbeaten run in the competition was ended by a 1-0 loss in the home leg, their final place was secure.
Coach: Elena Sadiku
Sadiku left Celtic to join Häcken at the end of 2025 to replace Mak Lind. Previously a player for LdB Malmö (now Rosengård), Kristianstad, Eskilstuna United and Hammarby, as well as Sweden’s U19s, Sadiku had her career cut short by recurring injury at the age of 23 but soon began thriving as a coach.
She worked with the Hammarby academy and then as assistant coach for China’s Beijing BG Phoenix, before taking similar roles at Rosengård and Fortuna Hjørring, where she was promoted to head coach for a spell in 2021. Sadiku then coached at Eskilstuna United and with Everton’s academy, before being appointed by Celtic in 2024, leading them to their first Scottish title and a Champions League group stage debut.
Did you know?
Häcken were heading for the Women’s Champions League league phase this season but conceded an equaliser to Atleti in the tenth minute of added time before losing in extra time. They clinched the 2025 Swedish title in November, finishing ahead of Hammarby, after which Sadiku took over as coach.
“Cup winners” refers to main domestic FA cup only.