Sweden finished in fifth place in this summer's European Championships, which also earned a place in the Olympic qualifiers in February. An EM qualification is also expected, which will start in November.

Sweden meets initially with Israel and Montenegro. Thereafter, the next qualification awaits in November 2020 and in February 2021. To reach the European Championships, Sweden needs to win the group or be one of the five best group two (nine qualifying groups). The European Championships will be decided in the summer of 2021 in France / Spain.
SVT's basketball expert is Elisabeth Egnell.

The expert ... about the torment:

- It is a long qualification that begins next week, which will end in February 2021. The challenge will be to keep as high a level as possible in all matches. Since Sweden plays in a three-team group, all matches are important for the goal difference to be good.

... about the opponents:

- Israel at away level is always a tough challenge but Sweden is clearly the strongest team. Israel missed the European Championships last, which is not so great considering the competitive situation in Europe. Sweden needs to be prepared for a match picture that one does not necessarily recognize as they play fast basketball adapted to a shorter team lineup.

- Montenegro stands as the absolute strongest opponent and if they stand up with full squad it is suddenly a European top team. It is not possible to pull too big gears of the recent European Championships, as Montenegro lacked several good players. The team victory stands between Montenegro and Sweden and a victory at home would give nice work peace for the continuation.

... about the new coach:

- Coach Marco Crespi is a legend in Italian men's basketball. He took on his first women's team when he took over the Italian women's team two years ago. Personally, I think he has done a good job and is a bit surprised that he did not get continued trust there. He has clear lines in the game, seems to work a lot with role distribution and communication, which is perfect for the Swedish team. The challenge is of course to get to know each other as soon as possible and to prioritize the right things during the short preparations.

... about the Swedish players:

- In the Swedish team, many of the players have started the season well. Louice Halvarsson, Binta Drammeh, Elin Eldebrink, Kalis Loyd, Regan Magarity have come in well. Concerns about Frida Eldebrink and Farhiya Abdi, who are clubless and training at home, just like Amanda Zahui who has not yet started the upcoming season in China. The final squad is difficult to say, but there are many interesting names and I assume there will be some changes compared to this summer's European Championships. To name a few: young, exciting Tova Sabel who, if not now, will most likely become part of the future of the Swedish Basque.

The matches are commented on by Björn Becksmo and expert Elisabeth Egnell.