The road back was not straightforward. Sweden finished last in Group B of the UEFA qualifiers, but their performance in the 2025 UEFA Nations League earned them a place in the qualification playoffs. There, they defeated Ukraine in the semifinals before edging Poland 3-2 in the final to secure their ticket to the World Cup.
The squad features several recognizable names, including Alexander Isak, Viktor Gyökeres, Anthony Elanga, and Lucas Bergvall. One notable absence is winger Dejan Kulusevski, who was unable to recover from injury in time. Speaking on the decision, Potter said, "It's a very, very difficult decision in terms of where he's been and where he's at in his rehab with four and a half weeks to go to the first game." Young midfielder Roony Bardghji also misses out, having received limited playing time at FC Barcelona this season.
Sweden will open their World Cup campaign on June 14th against Tunisia at Estadio BBVA in Guadalupe, Mexico. Before then, they will play two friendlies: against Norway in Oslo on June 1st, and against Greece in Solna, Sweden on June 4th.
The Sweden squad:
Goalkeepers: Viktor Johansson - Kristoffer Nordfeldt - Jacob Widell Zetterstrom.
Defense: Hjalmar Ekdal - Gabriel Gudmundsson - Isak Hien - Emil Holm - Gustav Lagerbielke - Victor Nilsson Lindelöf - Erik Smith - Carl Starfelt - Elliot Stroud - Daniel Svensson.
Midfield: Taha Ali - Yasin Ayari - Jesper Karlström - Ken Sema - Mattias Svanberg - Besfort Zeneli - Lucas Bergvall.
Attack: Viktor Gyökeres - Alexander Isak - Benjamin Nygren - Anthony Elanga - Gustav Nilsson - Alexander Bernhardsson.
