Nilla Fischer


Åsa Nilla Maria Fischer is a Swedish former footballer and police officer. Her last club was Linköpings FC. She played in the Swedish national team between 2001 and 2022. She was previously the captain of FC Rosengård. On 27 December 2022, she decided to retire. She graduated from the Swedish police academy in July 2025, and has been working full-time as a police officer since then.

Career

Fischer won most of her caps for Sweden as a defensive midfielder after her debut versus Norway in January 2001. She was converted to a centre back by coach Pia Sundhage in 2013.
The change in position coincided with an upturn in goalscoring form for Fischer, who scored three times for hosts Sweden at UEFA Women's Euro 2013. Her performances in Sweden's run to the semi-finals prompted a contract offer from European Champions VfL Wolfsburg and Fischer agreed to move to Germany from 1 January 2014. In August 2013, the clubs reached a deal for "grateful" Fischer's immediate transfer. Fischer played the first competitive game for her new side in the Bundesliga 2013–14 season opener against Bayern Munich in front of a home crowd of 8,249 fans on 7 September 2013.
On 28 March 2022 Fischer announced through her Instagram that she wouldn't take part in the forthcoming Team Sweden campaign in UEFA Women's Euro 2022 on grounds that she didn't want to spend most of the summer away from her family. During the championship she appeared as a studio expert in the broadcasts from Swedish public service channel SVT.
On 27 September 2022, Nilla Fischer announced her retirement from Team Sweden. On 12 December the same year, she announced her retirement from soccer, and that she would instead educate herself to become a police officer.

Matches and goals scored at World Cup and Olympic tournaments

Nilla Fischer has represented Sweden in four World Cups and three Olympic Games Her squad finished in third place in two of those World Cups, and won a silver medal in Rio.
Twice during Olympic play she scored her team's only goal of the match, securing wins against Argentina in 2008 and South Africa in 2016.
Her 35th-minute goal against the USA on the final day of group play in the 2011 World Cup would prove to be the match winner. That result put Sweden atop their group, and is the only time the Americans have suffered defeat in the group stage of a World Cup.

Gender equality and LGBT rights

In regards to women's football, Fischer was described in 2017 as "one of the sport’s most important voices in support of gender equality and LGBT rights".

Personal life

In 2013, Fischer gave an interview to QX magazine in which she announced her intention to marry her partner Maria Michaela. They married in December 2013.

International goals


Goal
DateLocationOpponentScoreResultCompetition
12007-02-17Larnaca, CyprusFriendly
32008-03-05Lagos, Portugal2008 Algarve Cup
42008-05-03Székesfehérvár, HungaryEuro 2009 qualifying
72009-03-06Lagos, Portugal2009 Algarve Cup
82009-03-09Faro, Portugal2009 Algarve Cup
92010-03-03Albufeira, Portugal2010 Algarve Cup
102010-03-31Broughton, Flintshire, Wales2011 World Cup qualification
112011-07-06Wolfsburg, Germany2011 FIFA Women's World Cup
122012-01-17La Manga, SpainFriendly
132012-07-25Coventry, Great BritainOlympics 2012
192015-02-12Uusimaa, FinlandFriendly
212016-08-03Rio de Janeiro, BrazilOlympics 2016
222017-03-08Albufeira, Portugal2017 Algarve Cup
232017-10-24Borås, Sweden2019 World Cup qualification

Matches and goals scored at European Championship tournaments

Nilla Fischer has appeared at three European Championship tournaments: Finland 2009, Sweden 2013, and Netherlands 2017.

Honours

Club

LdB FC Malmö

;Sweden
  • 2007 FIFA Women's World Cup: Group stage
  • 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup: Third place
  • 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup: Round of 16
  • 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup: Third place
  • 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing: Quarter-final
  • 2012 Summer Olympics in London: Quarter-final
  • 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio: Runner-up
  • UEFA Women's Euro 2009: Quarter-final
  • UEFA Women's Euro 2013: Semi-finals
  • Algarve Cup : Winner 2009
;Sweden U19
  • UEFA Women's Under-19 Championship: Group stage 2002, Semi-finals 2003
  • Nordic Cup: Runner-up 2004
;Sweden U17