Sweden at the FIFA World Cup 2026

History

Sweden have one of the longer World Cup traditions in Europe, having appeared at the tournament 13 times including 2026. Their best result came at the 1958 World Cup, which they hosted, reaching the final before losing 5-2 to Brazil. They also finished third in 1950 and again in 1994, when Tomas Brolin, Kennet Andersson, and Martin Dahlin led a side that scored 15 goals in seven matches, more than any other team in that tournament. Sweden have 0 world titles.

Qualification

Sweden's road to qualification was turbulent. Former coach Jon Dahl Tomasson was sacked in October 2025 after Sweden took just one point from four UEFA qualifying matches and sat bottom of their group. Graham Potter was appointed on October 20, 2025 on a short-term contract, with the sole aim of keeping qualification alive through the Nations League play-off route. Sweden advanced to the UEFA play-offs via their Nations League standing. Potter won his first match as Sweden manager on March 26, 2026, with a 3-1 victory over Ukraine in the play-off semi-final, Viktor Gyokeres scoring a hat-trick. Sweden then defeated Poland 3-2 in the play-off final to secure their place at the 2026 World Cup. Potter's contract was subsequently extended to 2030.

Preparation

Graham Potter announced his final 26-man squad on May 12, 2026. Captain Victor Lindelof heads the defensive unit, while Viktor Gyokeres and Alexander Isak form a formidable attacking partnership. The squad gathered in Stockholm on May 27, 2026 to begin tournament preparations. On May 30, defender Emil Holm withdrew with a muscle injury and was replaced by FC Dallas right-back Herman Johansson. Sweden played two warm-up friendlies before the tournament: away to Norway at Ullevaal Stadion in Oslo on June 1, and a home match against Greece at Strawberry Arena in Solna on June 4. In Oslo, Sweden lost 3-1 to Norway in a weak display, with Alexander Isak scoring their goal and Eric Smith making his debut; Graham Potter made eight half-time changes. Viktor Gyokeres did not feature in the Norway friendly, as he contested Arsenal's UEFA Champions League final against Paris Saint-Germain in Budapest on May 30 and joined the squad afterwards. Sweden's base camp during the tournament is in Frisco, Texas, where they will train at Toyota Soccer Center and stay at the Westin Stonebriar Golf Resort and Spa.

Latest news

Norway beat Sweden 3-1 in Oslo World Cup warm-up

· matches

Sweden lost their penultimate pre-tournament friendly 3-1 to Norway at Ullevaal Stadion in Oslo. Jorgen Strand Larsen scored twice and Antonio Nusa added the third for the hosts; Alexander Isak netted Sweden's only goal. Viktor Gyokeres sat out after the Champions League final, and Eric Smith made his Sweden debut. Graham Potter made eight changes at half-time after a weak first-half display.

Emil Holm out of World Cup with muscle injury, Herman Johansson called up

· injuries

The Swedish FA announced on 30 May that Juventus defender Emil Holm has withdrawn from the 26-man World Cup squad with a muscle injury expected to keep him out for several weeks. FC Dallas right-back Herman Johansson was called up as his replacement, and Sebastian Nanasi was promoted to the standby list.

Squad

PlayerPositionClub
Jacob Widell ZetterströmGKDerby County
Viktor JohanssonGKStoke City
Kristoffer NordfeldtGKAIK Solna
Victor LindelöfDFAston Villa
Isak HienDFAtalanta
Carl StarfeltDFCelta Vigo
Gustaf LagerbielkeDFSC Braga
Gabriel GudmundssonDFLeeds United
Herman JohanssonDFFC Dallas
Daniel SvenssonDFBorussia Dortmund
Hjalmar EkdalDFBurnley
Eric SmithDFFC St. Pauli
Elliot StroudDFMjällby AIF
Lucas BergvallMFTottenham Hotspur
Mattias SvanbergMFVfL Wolfsburg
Jesper KarlströmMFUdinese
Yasin AyariMFBrighton & Hove Albion
Besfort ZeneliMFUnion Saint-Gilloise
Ken SemaMFPafos FC
Viktor GyökeresFWArsenal
Alexander IsakFWLiverpool
Anthony ElangaFWNewcastle United
Benjamin NygrenFWCeltic
Gustaf NilssonFWClub Brugge
Taha AliFWMalmö FF
Alexander BernhardssonFWHolstein Kiel

Recent results

  • 2024-01-12 — SWE 2-1 EST (friendly)
  • 2024-03-21 — POR 5-2 SWE (friendly)
  • 2024-03-25 — SWE 1-0 ALB (friendly)
  • 2024-06-05 — DEN 2-1 SWE (friendly)
  • 2024-06-08 — SWE 0-3 SRB (friendly)
  • 2025-03-22 — LUX 1-0 SWE (friendly)
  • 2025-03-25 — SWE 5-1 NIR (friendly)
  • 2025-06-06 — HUN 0-2 SWE (friendly)
  • 2025-06-10 — SWE 4-3 ALG (friendly)
  • 2025-09-05 — SVN 2-2 SWE (qualification)
  • 2025-09-08 — KOS 2-0 SWE (qualification)
  • 2025-10-10 — SWE 0-2 SUI (qualification)
  • 2025-10-13 — SWE 0-1 KOS (qualification)
  • 2025-11-15 — SUI 4-1 SWE (qualification)
  • 2025-11-18 — SWE 1-1 SVN (qualification)
  • 2026-03-26 — UKR 1-3 SWE (qualification)
  • 2026-03-31 — SWE 3-2 POL (qualification)
  • 2026-06-01 — NOR 3-1 SWE (friendly)

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