Sources: NWSL's Stars hire ex-Norway coach Sjögren

The Chicago Stars have appointed Martin Sjögren as their new head coach, confirmed by multiple sources to ESPN. Sjögren, the former head coach of the Norway women's national team, is expected to join Chicago in January 2026 ahead of the NWSL season. He is currently managing Hammarby in Sweden's top-flight Damallsvenskan, which concludes its season in November, shortly after the NWSL Championship.

Chicago currently occupies 13th place in the 14-team NWSL with 11 games remaining in the season. Ella Masar is serving as the interim head coach, marking the team's third coach this season. Lorne Donaldson was fired in late April after leading the team to the playoffs last year; assistant coach Masaki Hemmi initially replaced him as interim head coach but left in early July to coach Lexington SC in the USL Super League.

Sjögren brings extensive club coaching experience from Sweden and is best known for his six-year tenure (2016-2022) as Norway's head coach. During this time, he led Norway to a quarterfinal appearance at the 2019 World Cup. However, Norway failed to progress beyond the group stage at both the 2017 and 2022 European Championships under his leadership, leading to his resignation after the 2022 tournament. He took over at Hammarby in January 2024, guiding them to a third-place finish last year and qualification for the UEFA Women's Champions League play-in rounds.

The Stars are struggling significantly this season, having won only one of their 15 games. They sit just two points above the last-place Utah Royals in the NWSL table.