A Celebrated Soccer Couple Face Off

It is rare in top-level soccer for a player to be tasked with guarding their life partner. Sweden defender Magdalena Eriksson's job Friday is stopping the threat of Denmark star Pernille Harder in their opening game at the Women's European Championship, per the AP. The couple of 11 years has been a high-profile one since a photo of their kiss after a game at the 2019 World Cup in France went viral. Ahead of their Euro 2025 game in Geneva, the previous clash for the pair—each with more than 100 national-team appearances—was a celebrated victory for Eriksson in February.

Showing no personal favors as Sweden captain that evening, Eriksson's tough challenges late in a Nations League game left their mark. Harder had treatment for an injured side, then got Eriksson's elbow in her face when they wrestled at a corner near the end of Sweden's 2-1 win. Harder smiled ruefully after that foul was judged and seemed content last month that Eriksson was suspended for the return game. "As a football player, it's nice that Magda won't play. But also to avoid these duels between us," the Denmark captain said ahead of her team losing 6-1. A running joke this year has been that the loser must do the washing up at their home, and a Swedish fan's banner in Solna four weeks ago read: "Pernille tar disken" (Pernille does the dishes).

Eriksson and Harder have embraced their status as LGBTQ+ icons in soccer since the 2019 kiss in Paris. "I didn't realize until that picture came out how big of an inspiration we actually are for a lot of people," Harder told the Guardian after the tournament, when both signed with soccer's Common Goal social program. Eriksson said the reaction to the photo "made me understand that, 'OK, I am actually a role model to people'." They donate 1% of their salary to Common Goal and support its Play Proud project. "That's something my dad always taught me when I was younger was to have integrity, to stand up for what you believe in," Eriksson explained in a 2022 film. "It's very important to stay true to my values."