Argentina's men's team won the World Cup last year with world star Lionel Messi in the lead. In their shadow, the women's national team is fighting for better conditions.
– The Swedish audience will see players who not only struggle on the pitch but also in life in general, says captain and goalkeeper Vanina Corre to SVT in a report.
Investments in women's football in Argentina have long been conspicuous by their absence. When the team failed in the 2015 World Cup qualifiers, the manager was sacked without being replaced. In 2017, the team was classified as unranked by FIFA due to inactivity before being back on the big stage for the 2019 World Cup.
"Incredible development they had"
Magdalena Eriksson is positive about both Argentina's journey and several other teams. Many have surprised during the championship where 32 teams participate instead of 24.
– It has been so incredibly fun to follow this tournament as a fan, I feel that I am both a fan and a participant in this tournament. It's been incredibly cool to see the younger nations, if you can call them that – those who haven't had women's national teams or FIFA rankings for so long – and see what incredible development they've had in recent years. It bodes well for women's football that exciting players are popping up everywhere. It will mean that women's football will only become even more competitive and that the sport will only get better and better.
Sweden will make changes to the starting line-up for the match as they are already ready for the eighth final. Eriksson thinks it could be a tricky match.
"It's always difficult to play against a team you've never played against. There are a lot of players I don't know about. I've just learned what they're good at. They have made it difficult for both Italy and South Africa and shown that they are willing to fight for their country for 90 minutes. It will be exciting and we have to perform our best.