[5] As a player, Sundhage played most of her career as a forward and retired as the top scorer for the Sweden national team.

Sundhage later became the head coach of her native Sweden women's national football team from 2012 to 2017, winning an Olympic silver medal in 2016.

Sundhage started with IFK Ulricehamn as a youth player and eventually moved to Falköpings KIK in 1978.

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.

[6] 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.

[citation needed] 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.

[7] 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.

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.

Pia Sundhage was announced as the United States women's national team head coach on 13 November 2007.

She was on the verge of winning the 2009 Algarve Cup, but the United States lost out to Sundhage's native Sweden on penalties.

[10] 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.

[11] 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.

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.

[13] The Swedish Football Association announced early 2 September 2012 that Sundhage signed a four-year contract that starts on 1 December.

[citation needed] 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[note 1] and very physical play,[18] 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.