Sweden bid farewell to Nathalie Hagman and Jamina Roberts

Both are among the most-capped and most successful players in Sweden's history. Right wing Hagman has played 259 games for the national team ahead of the last Qualifiers matches, scoring 1,001 goals. That scoring record puts her third in Sweden's all-time scoring list. She is also Sweden's youngest-ever senior team debutant, playing her first game at the age of just 17 in 2009.

She also holds the top five records as Sweden's top scorer in a single match, twice netting 19 goals at the 2021 IHF Women's World Championship, against Puerto Rico and Kazakhstan. 

Hagman is currently playing club handball for Györi Audi ETO KC in Hungary, where she is looking for her first EHF Champions League Women title.

The only player who has played more games for Sweden is Roberts, with 271 caps before the last Qualifiers matches. The left back has notched up 730 goals so far, and is likely to add more in Sweden's games against Ukraine and Lithuania; she is currently Sweden's top scorer in the Qualifiers with 12 goals over four games.

Roberts has played the most major championship games of any Swedish woman — 19 — closely followed by Hagman with 16. Roberts' current club is Ikast Håndbold in Denmark.

The duo were both part of Sweden's recent EHF EURO medal-winning squads, taking bronze in 2010 and silver in 2014. At the EHF EURO 2024, they helped Sweden to a fifth-place finish. 

Sweden head coach Tomas Axnér said: "Jamina and Nathalie are two unique players who, for many years, have contributed so much to Swedish end European handball. They are key players, world stars, and players who have carried this national team. So it will not only be a special match for them, I believe it will also be special for all of us around the team and everyone in the stands."

Hagman said: "It’s hard to describe how much the national team has meant to me. Of course, it is an incredible honour to have played so many internationals and championships, and it has been such a fun journey along the way. I have gone through so many different versions of myself during these years."

Roberts said it felt like the "right time" to step away from the national team and hand over to the next generation. She echoed Hagman's prediction that watching the next major championship on television will feel strange.

"When we started our national team careers, we were young, inexperienced, and unaware of how much the national team and this jersey would come to mean to us. We have been part of something much bigger than ourselves," she added.

Photos © kolektiff images