SWEDEN

Sweden is a 13-time World Cup participant and the 1958 silver medalist (a home tournament). At the 2026 World Cup, Sweden plays in Group F against Japan, Tunisia, and the Netherlands. Head coach Graham Potter, an Englishman, was appointed on October 20, 2025, after the dismissal of Jon Dahl Tomasson. The leaders: Viktor Gyökeres (Arsenal), Alexander Isak (Liverpool), Dejan Kulusevski.

In 1958 Sweden hosted the World Cup and reached its first-ever final. At Råsunda in Solna, four "Raymondan" players represented the national team — all local. In the final against Brazil, Sweden led 1:0, then lost 2:5 — it was 17-year-old Pelé's debut on the international stage. The 1958 silver remained Sweden's best result. Thirty-six years later in the USA (1994), Sweden took bronze by beating Bulgaria in the third-place match. At the last two World Cups, Sweden reached the 2018 quarterfinal, then failed to qualify in 2022.

Qualifying was a disaster: under Tomasson the team took one point from four matches, then lost 0:1 at home to Kosovo on October 11, 2025. Three days later Tomasson was fired; Potter arrived on October 20 and rebuilt the team in five months. Sweden went through the play-offs: 3:1 vs Ukraine and 3:2 vs Poland in the final on March 26, 2026. In Group F the main rival is the Netherlands. Matches are in Monterrey, Houston, and Arlington.

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