 Blackstenius in 2019 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Emma Stina Blackstenius[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1996-02-05)5 February 1996 (age 30) | ||
| Place of birth | Vadstena, Sweden | ||
| Height | 1.74 m (5 ft 9 in) | ||
| Position | Striker | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Arsenal | ||
| Number | 25 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2002–2011 | Vadstena GIF | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2011–2012 | Vadstena GIF | 34 | (59) |
| 2013–2016 | Linköping | 78 | (37) |
| 2017–2019 | Montpellier | 43 | (25) |
| 2019–2020 | Linköping | 22 | (9) |
| 2020–2021 | BK Häcken | 40 | (25) |
| 2022– | Arsenal | 83 | (31) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2012–2013 | Sweden U17 | 16 | (11) |
| 2013–2015 | Sweden U19 | 29 | (34) |
| 2016 | Sweden U20 | 4 | (5) |
| 2015– | Sweden | 125 | (43) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 24 January 2026 ‡ National team caps and goals as of 2 December 2025[2] | |||
Emma Stina Blackstenius (Swedish:[ˈstîːnablakˈstěːnɪɵs]; born 5 February 1996) is a Swedish professionalfootballer who plays as aforward forArsenal in the EnglishWomen's Super League and theSweden national team.
Blackstenius grew up inVadstena and joined local club Vadstena GIF in 2002 at the age of 6. On 20 April 2011, Blackstenius made her senior debut for the club against BK Kenty in theÖstergötland regionDivision 3, the fifth tier of women's football in Sweden. She started the match and scored twice as Vadstena lost 5–4. In her debut season, Blackstenius started all 18 leagues games and scored 21 goals.[3] She played 16 games the following season and finished as the league's top scorer with 38 goals. She was named 2012 Östergötland player of the year.[4]
Prior to the start of the2013 season, Blackstenius signed a three-year contract withLinköping FC of the top-flightDamallsvenskan. She made her Damallsvenskan debut as a 68th-minute substitute on 17 April 2013 in a 1–1 draw withKopparbergs/Göteborg FC. She scored her first top-flight goal on 28 May 2013, in a 3–1 victory overMalmö FF. On 31 July 2013, Blackstenius played her firstSvenska Cupen match for the club, scoring a hattrick during a 13–0 win against Landsbro IF. Having appeared in 9 of the first 11 league games of the season all as a substitute, Blackstenius was given a bigger role towards the end of the season. She started all of the 11 remaining league games and went on a run of scoring six goals in the final five games as Linköping finished third.[5] Linköping reached the 2013–14 Swedish Cup final. They beatKristianstads DFF 2–1 with Blackstenius appearing as a 62nd-minute substitute. In October 2014, Blackstenius made herUEFA Champions League debut away to EnglishSuper League sideLiverpool. Linköping lost the first leg 2–1 but won 3–0 at home to progress. At theFotbollsgalan 2015 [sv] awards, Blackstenius was named Breakthrough Player of the Year. In 2016, Linköping won the2016 Damallsvenskan title. Blackstenius was the second-highest scorer in the league with 19 goals behind teammatePernille Harder.
In January 2017, Blackstenius signed a two-and-a-half-year deal with FrenchDivision 1 Féminine clubMontpellier HSC.[6] She made her debut on 4 January 2017, entering as a halftime substitute againstParis Saint-Germain and scored the 81st-minute winner in the 2–1 victory. On 19 February 2017, she scored four goals in aCoupe de France 16–0 win over fourth division side FC Domont.[7] Joining halfway through the2016–17 season, Blackstenius helped Montpellier to finish second in the league behindLyon, scoring seven goals in 11 league games. The following season, Blackstenius finished as the fourth-highest scorer in the league with 12 goals in 20 games as Montpellier finished third. Blackstenius fell out of favour at the start of the 2018–19 season, only starting in six of 12 appearances, and opted to leave in January 2019.[8]
On 30 January 2019, Blackstenius returned to Sweden, signing a two-year contract with her former club Linköpings FC.[9] She made her second debut in a 5–0 win overVäxjö DFF in theDamallsvenskan. The team finished fifth with Blackstenius scoring nine goals.
Ahead of the 2020 season, Blackstenius moved toKopparbergs/Göteborg FC (later rebranded BK Häcken). A dispute between Linköping and Göteborg in regard to the transfer had to be settled by the Swedish Football Association's arbitration committee with neither party wishing to comment on the nature of the dispute.[10] In her debut season with the club, Göteborg won the2020 Damallsvenskan. On 4 April 2021, Blackstenius scored the only goal in a2020–21 Svenska Cupen semi-final win overFC Rosengård before scoring again in the final as BK Häcken beatEskilstuna United 3–0.[11] In the2021 season, Häcken finished second behind Rosengård. Blackstenius led the league in both goals (17) and assists (8).[12] In November 2021, she was named to the 20-player Ballon d'Or shortlist.[13] Blackstenius left the club upon the expiry of her contract at the end of the 2021 season.[14]
On 14 January 2022, EnglishSuper League clubArsenal confirmed the signing of Blackstenius on a free transfer.[15] She made her debut five days later, as a 69th-minute substitute forVivianne Miedema in a 1–0 defeat at home toManchester United in theLeague Cup quarter-finals.[16] She scored her first goal for Arsenal on 5 February 2022 against Manchester United, tying the game 1–1 in the 78th minute.[17] In the2022–23 Conti Cup final againstChelsea, Blackstenius scored a goal making it 1–1 in the eventual 3–1 win for Arsenal.[18] She scored a hat trick againstReading in the2023–24 Conti Cup.[19] She scored a first-half hat trick in the 4–0 win againstAston Villa in the2023–24 Conti Cup semifinal.[20] In the final, she scored the game-winning goal in the 116th minute of overtime, beating Chelsea 1–0 to lift the trophy.[21] In the away match againstManchester City, Arsenal were down by one until Blackstenius scored in the 89th and 92nd minute, beating City away from home for the first time in seven years.[22][23]
On 24 May 2025, Blackstenius was introduced as a 67th minute substitute in the2025 UEFA Champions League final againstBarcelona. In the 74th minute, she scored the only goal of the match, winning Arsenal their second Champions League title.[24]
On 30 October 2012, Blackstenius made her Swedenunder-17 debut during2013 UEFA Under-17 Championship qualification, scoring a hattrick in a 9–0 win overCroatia. As anunder-19 international, Blackstenius featured prominently at the2015 UEFA Under-19 Championship. She finished as tournament's top goalscorer after scoring six goals for the victorious Swedish team, including two in the 3–1 final win overSpain.[25] In total she scored 50 goals in 49 appearances while representing Sweden at various youth age groups.[2]
Blackstenius made her seniorSweden national team debut as a 79th-minute substitute in a 1–0UEFA Euro 2017 qualifying win overDenmark on 27 October 2015, atGamla Ullevi. On 8 April 2016, she scored her first senior international goal on her fifth appearance, the third goal in Sweden's 3–0 win overSlovakia inPoprad duringUEFA Euro 2017 qualifying.
In June 2016, Blackstenius was named in the Sweden squad for the2016 Summer Olympics. Having appeared as a substitute againstSouth Africa in the opening group match, Blackstenius was an unused substitute for the next two as Sweden progressed as one of the two best-ranked third place teams. In thequarter-final against the reigning World Cup and Olympic championsUnited States, she came off the bench to replace the injuredFridolina Rolfö in the 18th minute and scored in the second half to give Sweden a lead. With the game tied at 1–1, Sweden progressed following apenalty shoot-out.[26] Coming on again as a substitute in theGold Medal match, Blackstenius scored in the 67th minute to pull Sweden within one score ofGermany. The game finished 2–1 with Sweden winning the silver medal.[27]
The following summer, Blackstenius was called up to the squad forEuro 2017. She scored in consecutive group games againstRussia andItaly before Sweden were knocked out at the quarter-final stage by host nationNetherlands.
Having helped helping Sweden qualify for the2019 FIFA World Cup with three goals, second on the team behindKosovare Asllani, Blackstenius was selected in the final squad to travel to France. She made her World Cup debut starting the first game, a 2–0 win over Chile. She scored her first World Cup goal in the round of 16, the only goal in a 1–0 win overCanada.[28] She scored another game winniner in the following match, a 2–1 quarter-final win overGermany, Sweden's first win against Germany in a major tournament since the1995 World Cup.[29][30] They lost the semi-final to Netherlands before winning the third-place match againstEngland.
In July 2021, Blackstenius was named to her second successive Olympics for the delayed2020 Tokyo games. Sweden repeated their silver medal run with Blackstenius having her most successful tournament to date, leading the team in goals with five.[31] She scored three goals during the group stage: a brace during a 3–0 win over the United States in the opening group game and another againstAustralia. In the knockout stage, she scored the go-ahead goal in a 3–1 quarter-final win over hostsJapan before again netting in an Olympic gold medal match, this time to give Sweden the lead overCanada. She was substituted in the 106th minute during extra-time with Canada eventually winning the gold medal on penalties 3–2 as four of Sweden's six penalty takers were unsuccessful.[32] Combined with her goals at Rio 2016, Blackstenius' seven Olympic goals surpassed the previous Swedish record of six in the competition set byLotta Schelin.
In June 2022, Blackstenius was named to the squad forEuro 2022.[33] Despite injury concerns, she was fit enough to be named on the bench for the team's openinggroup stage game againstNetherlands and appeared as a 68th-minute substitute in the 1–1 draw.[34] She started all four remaining matches, scoring one goal during a 5–0 victory overPortugal,[35] before Sweden were eliminated by hostsEngland at thesemi-final stage 4–0.[36]
On 13 June 2023, she was included in the 23-player squad for the2023 World Cup.[37] She scored in Sweden's 5–0 win overItaly.[38]
She got her firsthat-trick for Sweden on 3 June 2025 in a 6-1 victory overDenmark in the 2024-25 UEFA Women's Nations League group stages.[39]
Blackstenius is the daughter of Magnus Blackstenius and Lena Wiberg. She has an older brother, Oscar, and her younger half-sister isSweden internationalhandball playerNina Koppang.[40] Blackstenius also grew up playing handball and did so competitively until 2013.[41] Blackstenius studied economics at Kungshögaskolan inMjölby.
Her last name, Blackstenius, comes from her father's family. He lived on a farm called "Blacksta", and her grandfather's name was "Sten". She, her father, and her brother are the only ones who have that name in Sweden.[42]
| Club | Season | League | National cup[a] | League cup[b] | Continental[c] | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Vadstena GIF | 2011 | Division 3 | 18 | 21 | ? | ? | — | — | — | 18 | 21 | |||
| 2012 | 16 | 38 | ? | ? | — | — | — | 16 | 38 | |||||
| Total | 34 | 59 | ? | ? | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 34 | 59 | ||
| Linköping | 2013 | Damallsvenskan | 20 | 8 | 6 | 7 | — | — | — | 26 | 15 | |||
| 2014 | 17 | 3 | 5 | 4 | — | 2 | 0 | — | 24 | 7 | ||||
| 2015 | 19 | 7 | 5 | 3 | — | 2 | 0 | — | 26 | 10 | ||||
| 2016 | 22 | 19 | 2 | 5 | — | — | — | 24 | 24 | |||||
| Total | 78 | 37 | 18 | 19 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100 | 56 | ||
| Montpellier | 2016–17 | D1 Féminine | 11 | 7 | 3 | 4 | — | — | — | 14 | 11 | |||
| 2017–18 | 20 | 12 | 3 | 1 | — | 6 | 1 | — | 29 | 14 | ||||
| 2018–19 | 12 | 6 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 13 | 6 | |||||
| Total | 43 | 25 | 7 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 56 | 31 | ||
| Linköping | 2019 | Damallsvenskan | 22 | 9 | 3 | 1 | — | — | — | 25 | 10 | |||
| BK Häcken | 2020 | Damallsvenskan | 19 | 8 | 1 | 3 | — | 2 | 0 | — | 22 | 11 | ||
| 2021 | 21 | 17 | 5 | 6 | — | 7 | 4 | — | 33 | 27 | ||||
| Total | 40 | 25 | 6 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 55 | 38 | ||
| Arsenal | 2021–22 | WSL | 11 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 16 | 7 | |
| 2022–23 | 22 | 8 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 12 | 6 | — | 39 | 18 | |||
| 2023–24 | 19 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 9 | 2 | 1 | — | 29 | 18 | |||
| 2024–25 | 19 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 15 | 2 | — | 39 | 10 | |||
| 2025–26 | 12 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 2[d] | 1 | 23 | 8 | ||
| Total | 83 | 31 | 10 | 8 | 14 | 12 | 37 | 9 | 2 | 1 | 146 | 61 | ||
| Career total | 300 | 186 | 44 | 42 | 14 | 12 | 56 | 14 | 2 | 1 | 416 | 254 | ||
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sweden | 2015 | 1 | 0 |
| 2016 | 12 | 3 | |
| 2017 | 17 | 2 | |
| 2018 | 10 | 5 | |
| 2019 | 14 | 4 | |
| 2020 | 4 | 0 | |
| 2021 | 14 | 8 | |
| 2022 | 14 | 6 | |
| 2023 | 17 | 2 | |
| 2024 | 8 | 5 | |
| 2025 | 14 | 8 | |
| Total | 125 | 43 | |
| No. | Date | Cap | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 8 April 2016 | 5 | NTC Poprad,Poprad, Slovakia |  Slovakia | 3–0 | 3–0 | UEFA Euro 2017 qualifying |
| 2 | 12 August 2016 | 10 | Mané Garrincha,Brasília, Brazil |  United States | 1–0 | 1–1 (4–3p) | 2016 Summer Olympics |
| 3 | 19 August 2016 | 12 | Maracanã,Rio de Janeiro, Brazil |  Germany | 1–2 | 1–2 | 2016 Summer Olympics |
| 4 | 21 July 2017 | 25 | De Adelaarshorst,Deventer, Netherlands |  Russia | 2–0 | 2–0 | UEFA Euro 2017 |
| 5 | 25 July 2017 | 26 | De Vijverberg,Doetinchem, Netherlands |  Italy | 2–2 | 2–3 | UEFA Euro 2017 |
| 6 | 28 February 2018 | 32 | Estádio Municipal Bela Vista,Parchal, Portugal |  Canada | 3–1 | 3–1 | 2018 Algarve Cup |
| 7 | 2 March 2018 | 33 | Estádio Municipal Bela Vista, Parchal, Portugal |  South Korea | 1–0 | 1–1 | 2018 Algarve Cup |
| 8 | 5 April 2018 | 34 | Haladás Sportkomplexum,Szombathely, Hungary |  Hungary | 3–1 | 4–1 | 2019 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 9 | 7 June 2018 | 35 | Gamla Ullevi,Gothenburg, Sweden |  Croatia | 1–0 | 4–0 | 2019 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 10 | 3–0 | ||||||
| 11 | 24 June 2019 | 47 | Parc des Princes,Paris, France | Canada | 1–0 | 1–0 | 2019 FIFA World Cup |
| 12 | 29 June 2019 | 48 | Roazhon Park,Rennes, France | Germany | 2–1 | 2–1 | 2019 FIFA World Cup |
| 13 | 8 October 2019 | 53 | Gamla Ullevi,Gothenburg, Sweden | Slovakia | 5–0 | 7–0 | UEFA Euro 2022 qualifying |
| 14 | 6–0 | ||||||
| 15 | 13 April 2021 | 62 | Stadion Widzewa,Łódź, Poland |  Poland | 1–1 | 4–2 | Friendly |
| 16 | 2–1 | ||||||
| 17 | 10 June 2021 | 63 | Guldfågeln Arena,Kalmar, Sweden |  Norway | 1–0 | 1–0 | Friendly |
| 18 | 21 July 2021 | 65 | Tokyo Stadium,Chōfu, Japan | United States | 1–0 | 3–0 | 2020 Summer Olympics |
| 19 | 2–0 | ||||||
| 20 | 24 July 2021 | 66 | Saitama Stadium,Saitama, Japan |  Australia | 4–2 | 4–2 | 2020 Summer Olympics |
| 21 | 30 July 2021 | 67 | Saitama Stadium, Saitama, Japan |  Japan | 2–1 | 3–1 | 2020 Summer Olympics |
| 22 | 6 August 2021 | 69 | International Stadium Yokohama,Yokohama, Japan | Canada | 1–0 | 1–1 (2–3p) | 2020 Summer Olympics |
| 23 | 20 February 2022 | 73 | Estádio Algarve,Algarve, Portugal |  Portugal | 4–0 | 4–0 | 2022 Algarve Cup |
| 24 | 7 April 2022 | 75 | Tengiz Burjanadze Stadium,Gori, Georgia |  Georgia | 3–0 | 15–0 | 2023 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 25 | 5–0 | ||||||
| 26 | 28 June 2022 | 77 | Nationalarenan,Stockholm, Sweden |  Brazil | 3–1 | 3–1 | Friendly |
| 27 | 17 July 2022 | 80 | Leigh Sports Village,Manchester, England | Portugal | 5–0 | 5–0 | UEFA Euro 2022 |
| 28 | 6 September 2022 | 83 | Tampere Stadium,Tampere, Finland |  Finland | 1–0 | 5–0 | 2023 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 29 | 29 July 2023 | 92 | Wellington Regional Stadium,Wellington, New Zealand | Italy | 3–0 | 5–0 | 2023 FIFA World Cup |
| 30 | 5 December 2023 | 103 | La Rosaleda Stadium,Málaga, Spain |  Spain | 3–1 | 3–5 | 2023–24 UEFA Nations League |
| 31 | 28 February 2024 | 105 | Tele2 Arena,Stockholm, Sweden |  Bosnia and Herzegovina | 2–0 | 5–0 | 2023–24 UEFA Nations League |
| 32 | 25 October 2024 | 108 | Stade Émile Mayrisch,Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg |  Luxembourg | 3–0 | 4–0 | UEFA Euro 2025 qualifying play-offs |
| 33 | 29 October 2024 | 109 | Gamla Ullevi, Gothenburg, Sweden | Luxembourg | 5–0 | 8–0 | UEFA Euro 2025 qualifying play-offs |
| 34 | 3 December 2024 | 111 | Tele2 Arena, Stockholm, Sweden |  Serbia | 3–0 | 6–0 | UEFA Euro 2025 qualifying play-offs |
| 35 | 4–0 | ||||||
| 36 | 3 June 2025 | 116 | Strawberry Arena, Stockholm, Sweden |  Denmark | 1–0 | 6–1 | 2025 UEFA Nations League |
| 37 | 4–1 | ||||||
| 38 | 5–1 | ||||||
| 39 | 26 June 2025 | 117 | Ullevål,Oslo, Sweden | Norway | 1–0 | 2–0 | Friendly |
| 40 | 8 July 2025 | 119 | Allmend Stadion Luzern,Lucerne, Switzerland | Poland | 1–0 | 3–0 | UEFA Women's Euro 2025 |
| 41 | 12 July 2025 | 120 | Stadion Letzigrund,Zurich, Switzerland | Germany | 1–1 | 4–1 | |
| 42 | 17 July 2025 | 121 |  England | 2–0 | 2–2 (2–3p) | ||
| 43 | 28 November 2025 | 124 | Stade Auguste-Delaune,Reims, France |  France | 1–1 | 1–2 | 2025 UEFA Women's Nations League Finals |
Linköping
Kopparbergs/Göteborg FC
Arsenal
Sweden U17
Sweden U19
Sweden
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