Evelyn Ijeh

Evelyn Ijeh
Ijeh with the North Carolina Courage in 2026
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
Number 10
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)
2024 → AC Milan (loan) 12 (3)
2024–2025 AC Milan 35 (16)
2026– North Carolina Courage 15 (7)
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 15 May 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.

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

Career

Early career

Ijeh started playing football at the age of ten.[1] She started her career with Swedish side IFK Göteborg, where she debuted for the club during a 3–1 loss to Hammarby.[2]

AC Milan

On 2 February 2024, Ijeh signed on a loan deal with AC Milan for the rest of the 2023–24 season.[3]

On 3 July 2024, Ijeh signed on a permanent deal with AC Milan until 30 June 2027.[4]

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.[5] On 16 May, she scored her first NWSL goal in a 4–0 win over the Chicago Stars.[6] On 31 July, she scored her first NWSL hat trick in a 5–0 victory over the Orlando Pride.[7]

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.[8] 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, Austria in 2021, she is now ineligible to represent Nigeria.[9]

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".[10]

Personal life

Ijeh is the sister of Swedish footballer Josephine Ijeh and daughter of Peter Ijeh.[11][10] She sees her father as her biggest motivator.[12] Her father was a former international player for Nigeria and also played for Viking FC in Norway.[13][14]

Career statistics

No.DateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition
1.25 October 2024Stade Émile Mayrisch, Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg Luxembourg4–04–0UEFA Women's Euro 2025 qualifying play-offs

References

  1. ↑ Galván, Gilberto (25 July 2023). "¿Quién es Evelyn Ijeh?". oncediario.com.
  2. ↑ Wagner, Michael (26 November 2018). ""Det senaste året har varit fantastiskt"". Aftonbladet (in Swedish). Retrieved 5 January 2024.
  3. ↑ "Evelyn Ijeh Joins AC Milan". AC Milan Women. 2 February 2024.
  4. ↑ "Permanent Rossonere Deal for Ijeh". AC Milan Women. 3 July 2024.
  5. ↑ "NC Courage Sign Swedish Striker Evelyn Ijeh From AC Milan". North Carolina Courage. 23 January 2026. Retrieved 23 January 2026.
  6. ↑ "NC Courage Sell Out Back-to-Back Matches for First Time in Club History". North Carolina Courage. 17 May 2026. Retrieved 17 May 2026.
  7. ↑ "Match Recap: NC Courage 5-0 Orlando Pride". North Carolina Courage. 31 July 2026. Retrieved 1 August 2026.
  8. ↑ Afolayan, Toyosi (20 June 2024). "Evelyn Ijeh: Sweden overtake Nigeria in race for AC Milan sensation". Retrieved 4 March 2026.
  9. ↑ 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.
  10. 1 2 Friberg, Anna (28 June 2020). "Evelyn Ijeh: "Jag ska nå långt – bli bättre än pappa"". Expressen (in Swedish). Retrieved 5 January 2024.
  11. ↑ Lindström, Ossian (23 September 2023). "Evelyn Ijeh: "Ligan här i Mexiko är väldigt spännande"". svenskafans.com.
  12. ↑ Nation, The (2 February 2019). "Evelyn Ijeh: Dad, my biggest motivator". The Nation. Lagos, Nigeria. Retrieved 4 March 2026.
  13. ↑ "Peter Ijeh urges Super Eagles to turn World Cup disappointment into AFCON 2025 motivation". Pulse Sports Nigeria. 24 November 2025. Retrieved 4 March 2026.
  14. ↑ "Ijeh, Peter". Viking (in Norwegian Bokmål). Retrieved 4 March 2026.
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