England captain Leah Williamson has playfully addressed the upcoming Euro 2025 quarter-final clash against Sweden in Zurich, stating she won't "banish Abba" from the team's dressing room playlist. The Swedish band's song "Does Your Mother Know" became a favorite during England's successful Euro 2022 campaign, where they defeated Sweden 4-0 in the semi-finals.
Abba's Bjorn Ulvaeus even acknowledged that the song made the defeat "easier to bear". While England and Sweden had a tighter contest in the qualifiers for this tournament, drawing twice, including a goalless draw in July 2024 that secured England's spot in the finals, Williamson seems to want to keep the good vibes from 2022 around the team.
In response to some Swedish fans' claims that Abba is better than the Beatles, and therefore Sweden would win, Williamson responded, "I don't (agree with that) I'm afraid. One might be easier to dance to, but no". She added, "I don't think that will be on the playlist, but it worked in 2022 so I don't want to banish Abba completely".
Looking ahead to the match, Williamson is preparing to face her Arsenal teammate, Stina Blackstenius. Blackstenius scored the winning goal in May in Lisbon, helping Arsenal secure the Champions League trophy with a 1-0 victory over Barcelona. Blackstenius has already scored twice in the current Euros for Sweden, who won Group C. Williamson recognizes the threat posed by Blackstenius and the Swedish team, describing them as "very organised" and a team that "work for each other" and "deserve a bit more recognition".
Williamson acknowledged Blackstenius' abilities, saying, "Stina is an incredibly powerful footballer,” Williamson said. “I think she's very intelligent with her runs, she's a hard player to play against in that respect. I was celebrating her success at Arsenal, and not so much now". She concluded, "So we'll see, but she's a great player and she has been for many years now, so her experience...".
The England captain previewed the quarter final against Sweden in a news conference, which was broadcasted live. The Lionesses finished second in Group D after beating Wales on Sunday evening.
