Pia Mariane Sundhage (, born 13 February 1960) is a Swedish football manager and former player who currently manages the Haiti national team. As a player, Sundhage played most of her career as a forward and retired as the top scorer for the Sweden national team.
Sundhage was the head coach of the United States national team from 2008 to 2012 and led the team to two Olympic gold medals and a silver medal at the World Cup. Her success led to her winning the 2012 FIFA World Coach of the Year. Sundhage later became the head coach of her native Sweden from 2012 to 2017, winning an Olympic silver medal in 2016. She coached the Brazil national team from 2019 to 2023. She later managed Switzerland, the hosts of the UEFA Women's Euro 2025.
Club career
Sundhage started with IFK Ulricehamn as a youth player and eventually moved to Falköpings KIK in 1978. She then joined Jitex BK from 1979 to 1981. Sundhage played 1982 to 1983 with Östers IF, scoring 30 times in her first season with the club and chipping in 35 more in her second season. 1984 saw a move back to Jitex BK, while 1985 saw Sundhage split time between Stattena IF, Lazio (where she scored 17 times), and Jitex BK. She played the 1986 season with Hammarby IF, before she moved back to Jitex BK from 1979 through 1989. Sundhage finished her career with Hammarby IF DFF, playing from 1990 until she retired in 1996.
She won four Damallsvenskan championships, all with Jitex BK, as well as two additional Svenska Cupen with the club. She also won two Svenska Cupen with Hammarby IF DFF.
International career Sundhage made her first appearance for the Sweden national team as a 15-year-old in 1975, eventually amassing 146 caps and scoring 71 goals for her country. Her 71 goals gave her joint-lead with Lena Videkull for the most in the Sweden national team history, a record which has since been surpassed by both Hanna Ljungberg and Lotta Schelin.
She participated for Sweden in the 1991 (a third-place finish) and 1995 editions of the FIFA Women's World Cup and the 1996 Summer Olympics. She won, and was the top scorer, in the 1984 UEFA Women's Championship. Her image appeared on a Swedish postage stamp in 1988. In 1989 Sundhage scored the first goal in a women's match at Wembley Stadium, as Sweden beat England 2–0 in a curtain–raiser for the Rous Cup.
In 2000, Sundhage finished sixth in the voting for FIFA Women's Player of the Century.
Coaching career
Pre-United States
Sundhage got her start in coaching as a player/manager when she was with Hammarby IF from 1992 to 1994. She then took assistants jobs with Vallentuna BK (1998 to 1999) and AIK Fotboll Dam (2000) before moving across the Atlantic Ocean to become an assistant with Philadelphia Charge of the new Women's United Soccer Association in the United States. She eventually was hired on by Boston Breakers as the head coach, winning the league title and being named the 2003 WUSA Coach of the Year in the process. Once the WUSA folded however, it was back to Scandinavia to take on further coaching positions.
Her relationship with the Boston Breakers led United States women's national team captain Kristine Lilly and fellow USWNT player Kate Markgraf joining her in the Swedish Damallsvenskan when Pia coached KIF Örebro DFF from 2005 to 2006, after a brief stint with Kolbotn IL in 2004. Lilly said she "wanted to play for Pia again."
Sundhage served as an assistant to Marika Domanski-Lyfors for the China Women's national team during the 2007 FIFA Women's World Cup.
United States women's national team Pia Sundhage was announced as the United States women's national team head coach on 13 November 2007. She became the seventh head coach in the U.S. team's history and the third woman. Lauren Gregg was in charge for 3 games in 2000, April Heinrichs led the squad from 2000–2004 and won the 2004 Summer Olympics, while Sundhage served as a scout for the United States during the 2004 Olympics.
While at the helm of the United States, Sundhage won the 2008 Algarve Cup and gold medals at both the 2008 Summer Olympics and the 2012 Summer Olympics. She was on the verge of winning the 2009 Algarve Cup, but the United States lost out to Sundhage's native Sweden on penalties. However, she did win the 2010 Algarve Cup a year later, defeating World and European Champions Germany 3–2 in the final.
She coached the women's team to the final of the 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup, where the team advanced to the final for the first time since 1999. However, they were upset by Japan, losing 3–1 on penalty kicks after a 2-2 draw. A year later, Sundhage coached the USWNT to another gold medal at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, defeating Japan 2–1 in a Women's World Cup final rematch, with Carli Lloyd scoring both goals.
On 1 September 2012, Sundhage announced she was stepping down as the U.S women's head coach having expressed a desire to seek opportunities in her native Sweden. Sundhage announced she would coach the U.S. team's games on 16 and 19 September on the team's Olympic victory tour before officially resigning. "I have days where I think, 'What am I doing?' and there are other days where I'm like, 'I'm all up for this next challenge'" Sundhage said upon announcing her departing the US women's national team.U.S. coach Pia Sundhage steps down , ESPN.com. Retrieved 1 September 2012. She coached her last game against Australia as part the team's Olympic victory tour on 19 September, defeating them 6–2. With this final win Sundhage was able to leave the team with a 91–6–10 win–loss–tie record that included two Olympic gold medals and a second-place finish at the 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup.U.S. Women's National Team Provides Head Coach Pia Sundhage with 6-2 Victory in Final Match in Charge , ussoccer.com. Retrieved 21 September 2012.
Sweden women's national team The Swedish Football Association announced early 2 September 2012 that Sundhage signed a four-year contract that starts on 1 December. The announcement came hours after Sundhage's match as coach of the U.S. women's team, an 8–0 win in a friendly match against Costa Rica; the first of a series organized to celebrate the winning of gold medal at the 2012 London Olympics. Sundhage replaced Thomas Dennerby, who resigned after Sweden failed to reach the semifinals in 2012 Olympics. "I have long dreamed of becoming Sweden coach and now I am so happy" Sundhage said. Sundhage's first major tournament as coach of the Sweden team was the 2013 European championship, which Sweden hosted; Sweden lost 0–1 in the semi-final to Germany, which won the championship. In the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup, Sweden advanced from their group after 3 consecutive draws (including a scoreless draw with eventual champions USA, but lost 4-1 to Germany in the Round of 16.
At the 2016 Summer Olympics, Sundhage's Sweden started slow, following up an opening 1-0 win over South Africa with a 1-5 loss vs the hosts (and her future employers), Brazil. However, a scoreless draw against China enabled Sweden to advance to the quarterfinals on a tiebreaker, where her team faced her former USA squad. Deploying defense-first tactics and very physical play, Sweden neutralized the top-ranked American attack, capitalized on a breakaway at 61', and held on through extra time to win in a penalty shootout. The victory marked the first instance of the USA being eliminated before reaching the medal rounds at the Olympics. Sweden would go on to a rematch with Brazil in the semifinals, which they would also win in penalties after a scoreless draw. With a 2-1 defeat to Germany in the Gold Medal match, Sweden won their first Olympic medal in women's football.
After a disappointing quarterfinal exit in the UEFA Women's Euro 2017 tournament, in August 2017, Sundhage stepped down as coach of the women's national team, a move which had been announced the previous Fall. In November 2017, the Swedish Football Association announced the appointment of Sundhage as the new Sweden women's national under-17 football team head coach. Sundhage took over her new duties on 1 January 2018.
Brazil women's national team In July 2019, Sundhage accepted an invitation from the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) to become the new coach of the Brazil women's national football team, being the first none Brazilian to occupy this position. She was let go after a disappointing performance of Brazil's team at the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup.
Swiss women's national team Sundhage has coached the Swiss national team since 2024. The team surprised with a respectable performance against Spain in the quarter finals of the UEFA Women's Euro 2025 which took place in Switzerland.
Haitian women's national team Sundhage became coach of the Haitian women's national team on the 13th of February 2026
Personal life In January 2010, Sundhage mentioned in a Swedish TV interview that as a lesbian she has not felt any homophobia as a coach. "There has been no problem for me to be openly gay as head coach in the U.S.," said Sundhage.
Career statistics
Matches and goals scored at World Cup and Olympic tournaments
Goal Match Date Location Opponent Lineup Min Score Result Competition China 1991 FIFA Women's World Cup 1991-11-17 Panyu Start Group match 1 1991-11-19 Foshan Start 34 6–0 Group match 2 1991-11-21 Panyu Start 42 1-0 Group match 3 1991-11-24 Guangzhou Start 3 1-0 Quarter-Final 1991-11-27 Panyu Start Semi-Final 4 1991-11-29 Guangzhou Start 11 2-0 3rd Place Match Sweden 1995 FIFA Women's World Cup 1995-6-5 Helsingborg Start Group match 5 1995-6-7 Helsingborg Start 80 2-2 Group match 1995-6-9 Västerås Start Group match 1995-6-13 Helsingborg Start Quarter-Final Atlanta 1996 Women's Olympic Football Tournament 1996-7-21 Miami Start Group match 1996-7-23 Orlando Start Group match 1996-7-25 Orlando Start Group match
Matches and goals scored at European Championship tournaments Goal Match Date Location Opponent Lineup Min Score Result Competition 1984 European Championship 1 1984-3-1 Rome Start 50 2-2 Semi-Final 1st Leg 2 1984-4-1 Linköping Start 57 2-1 Semi-Final 2nd Leg 3 1984-5-27 Gothenburg Start 57 1-0 Final 1st Leg 1984-5-27 Luton Start Final 2nd Leg 1987 European Championship 1987-6-11 Moss Start Semi-Final 1987-6-14 Oslo Start Final 1989 European Championship 1989-6-28 Lüdenscheid Start Semi-Final 4 1989-6-30 Osnabrück Start 43 1-1 3rd Place Match 1995 European Championship 1995-2-26 Kristiansand Start Semi-Final 1st Leg 1995-3-5 Jönköping Start Semi-Final 2nd Leg 1995-3-26 Kaiserslautern Start Final
International goals