Evelyn Ijeh

Evelyn Ijeh
Ijeh with Växjö DFF in 2023
Personal information
Date of birth (2001-08-12) 12 August 2001
Place of birth Malmö, Sweden
Height 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)
Position Forward
Team information
Current team
North Carolina Courage
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2017–2020 Kopparbergs/Göteborg FC 11 (0)
2021 BK Häcken 10 (1)
2021 Lidköpings FK 12 (6)
2022–2023 Växjö DFF 42 (32)
2023–2024 Tigres UANL 7 (0)
2024AC Milan (loan) 12 (3)
2024–2025 AC Milan 35 (16)
2026– North Carolina Courage 1 (0)
International career
2018 Sweden U17
2018–2020 Sweden U19
2021–2025 Sweden U23 21 (14)
2024– Sweden 3 (1)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of March 21, 2026

Evelyn Ijeh (born 12 August 2001) is a Swedish professional footballer who plays as a forward for the North Carolina Courage of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) and the Sweden national team.[1]

Ijeh began her career with IFK Göteborg, BK Häcken, Lidköpings FK, and Växjö DFF in her native Sweden.[2] She signed with Mexican club Tigres UANL in 2023, before joining Italian club AC Milan initially on loan the following year.[3]

Early life

Ijeh started playing football at the age of ten.[4]

Career

Ijeh started her career with Swedish side IFK Göteborg, where she debuted for the club during a 3–1 loss to Hammarby.[5]

AC Milan

On 2 February 2024, Ijeh signed on a loan deal with AC Milan for the rest of the 2023–24 season.[6]

On 3 July 2024, Ijeh signed on a permanent deal with AC Milan until 30 June 2027.[7]

North Carolina Courage

On 23 January 2026, Ijeh joined the NWSL's North Carolina Courage on a transfer from AC Milan and signed a four-year contract with the club.[8]

International career

Ijeh was first called up to the national team in June 2024 to play matches against France and England in the UEFA Women's Euro 2025 qualifying.[9] She started in her first senior game against France in Dijon, where Sweden lost 2–1. Four days later, she came on as a sub for Madelen Janogy before the second half started against England in Gothenburg, a match that ended in a 0–0 draw.

In 2024, she became cap-tied to Sweden, her country of birth. Despite training with the Super Falcons in Vienna, Australia in 2021, she is now ineligible to represent Nigeria.[10]

Style of play

Ijeh mainly operates as a striker and has been described as "played in all positions, even goalkeeper as a child. And in F19, Evelyn Ijeh shifted between being left back and center back".[11]

Personal life

Ijeh is the sister of Swedish footballer Josephine Ijeh and daughter of Peter Ijeh.[12][11] She sees her father as her biggest motivator.[13] Her father was a former international player for Nigeria and also played for Viking FC in Norway.[14][15]

Career statistics

No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1. 25 October 2024 Stade Émile Mayrisch, Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg  Luxembourg 4–0 4–0 UEFA Women's Euro 2025 qualifying play-offs

References

  1. ^ website, NC Courage-Official (23 January 2026). "NC COURAGE SIGN SWEDISH STRIKER EVELYN IJEH FROM AC MILAN | News - NC Courage". NC Courage - Official website. Retrieved 4 March 2026.
  2. ^ "Sweden Call Up Evelyn Ijeh For Upcoming Matches - Gofishe News". 20 June 2024. Retrieved 4 March 2026.
  3. ^ Aikigbe, Godwin (5 July 2024). "Ijeh seals permanent Milan deal". The Punch. Retrieved 4 March 2026.
  4. ^ Galván, Gilberto (25 July 2023). "¿Quién es Evelyn Ijeh?". oncediario.com.
  5. ^ Wagner, Michael (26 November 2018). ""Det senaste året har varit fantastiskt"". Aftonbladet (in Swedish). Retrieved 5 January 2024.
  6. ^ "Evelyn Ijeh Joins AC Milan". AC Milan Women. 2 February 2024.
  7. ^ "Permanent Rossonere Deal for Ijeh". AC Milan Women. 3 July 2024.
  8. ^ "NC Courage Sign Swedish Striker Evelyn Ijeh From AC Milan". North Carolina Courage. 23 January 2026. Retrieved 23 January 2026.
  9. ^ Afolayan, Toyosi (20 June 2024). "Evelyn Ijeh: Sweden overtake Nigeria in race for AC Milan sensation". Retrieved 4 March 2026.
  10. ^ All Nigerian Soccer (13 July 2024). "Daughter of ex-Super Eagles striker becomes cap-tied to Sweden after attending Nigeria training camp". www.allnigeriasoccer.com. Retrieved 4 March 2026.
  11. ^ a b Friberg, Anna (28 June 2020). "Evelyn Ijeh: "Jag ska nå långt – bli bättre än pappa"". Expressen (in Swedish). Retrieved 5 January 2024.
  12. ^ Lindström, Ossian (23 September 2023). "Evelyn Ijeh: "Ligan här i Mexiko är väldigt spännande"". svenskafans.com.
  13. ^ Nation, The (2 February 2019). "Evelyn Ijeh: Dad, my biggest motivator". The Nation. Lagos, Nigeria. Retrieved 4 March 2026.
  14. ^ "Peter Ijeh urges Super Eagles to turn World Cup disappointment into AFCON 2025 motivation". Pulse Sports Nigeria. 24 November 2025. Retrieved 4 March 2026.
  15. ^ "Ijeh, Peter". Viking (in Norwegian Bokmål). Retrieved 4 March 2026.