Cole Campbell: The American football prodigy in Europe who credits his mom for his rise

His mother’s Nordic roots led Cole Campbell to go pro in Iceland in 2021, briefly representing Iceland at U-17 level before switching to the United States in 2024.

Updated : Sep 16, 2026 22:47 IST , Chennai - 4 MINS READ

Cole Campbell joined Elversberg as the club’s record signing in July after his path stalled at Borussia Dortmund. | Photo Credit: Getty Images

Cole Campbell, the breakout American star of the football season in Germany, has a unique advantage: his primary training partner is his mother, Rakel Karvelsson, a former pro in the U.S. and an Iceland international.

A “soccer mom”, Karvelsson is now sharpening Campbell’s game as he makes heads turn for small-town Bundesliga side Elversberg.

“My mom knows so much about football,” Campbell told reporters on Tuesday. “Having a mom also that played football, it’s great. I can also train with her, which is fun. She challenges me to a two-touch battle. She doesn’t win anymore but in the past, when I was younger, she used to beat me. That was, I think, maybe seven years ago when I was 13. When I was 14, 15, I started to beat her.”

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The 20-year-old joined Elversberg as the club’s record signing in July after his career plateaued at Borussia Dortmund, and the gamble on a promoted side paid off immediately: he scored on his first league start in a surprise win over former champion Bayer Leverkusen.

A proficient winger, Campbell and his young Elversberg side have shown they belong at the top level after pushing Bayern Munich in a 1-2 loss last week. Campbell had a goal disallowed for a teammate’s offside.

“I was confused because I turned and I didn’t see any of my teammates there (celebrating). So I was, like, ‘OK,’” he said.

From a town of just 13,000, Elversberg prides itself on its brand of “brave” football and refuse to be brushed aside as underdogs. “The bravery for me as an offensive player is to not be afraid of going one against one, going and trying something instead of being scared and not trying it because of the reputation,” he said.

While many players follow their fathers into the sport—think Erling Haaland, Tim Weah or Giuliano Simeone—the shorter history of professional women’s football means Campbell is among the first active players whose mother built a career in the game.

Karvelsson featured in the WUSA, the first all-professional women’s league in the U.S., when it launched in 2001; she won back-to-back NCAA titles with North Carolina in 1996 and 1997 and scored seven goals in 10 caps for Iceland. Campbell’s father also played college football.

His mother’s Nordic roots led Campbell to make his pro debut in Iceland in 2021, and he briefly represented Iceland at Under-17 level before switching allegiance to the United States in 2024—a move he says is final. “I’ve already made my decision to switch to the U.S. It was for a lot of different reasons, but my future is with the U.S., so that’s set. I have no second thoughts or anything, so that’s the thing for me that’s set in stone,” he said.

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Campbell, a friend of U.S. midfielder and ex-Dortmund teammate Gio Reyna, says he has been in contact with the U.S. national team’s coaching staff for the last two years. After watching the “amazing” World Cup crowds while on vacation, he now hopes his Elversberg form can earn him an international debut, with Sunday’s match against fellow promoted side Schalke his next chance to impress.

“I’m just focused on trying to perform the best that I can and I’m praying that I get my first call-up, hopefully soon,” he said. That would be a dream come true for me to represent my country.” he concluded.