‘Amazing opportunity’ as Sweden still have World Cup chance despite woeful qualifying campaign
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Swedish national team head coach Graham Potter and his captain Victor Lindelof at a press conference in Stockholm on March 30, 2026. Sweden will face Poland in the 2026 FIFA World Cup play-off on March 31.
PHOTO: EPA
STOCKHOLM – Despite a qualifying campaign in which they slumped to four defeats and finished bottom of their group, Sweden are just one game away from qualifying for the World Cup in the US, Mexico and Canada – thanks to a process that offers teams a number of second chances.
Sweden were so bad in Group B that they finished bottom behind Switzerland, Kosovo and Slovenia, with whom they drew twice, and they flopped so badly in their first four games that Danish coach Jon Dahl Tomasson became the first men’s head coach to be sacked by the Swedish football association (SvFF).
“It just feels like an amazing opportunity. We have the opportunity because what the team did in the Nations League. So we are where we are, and now we’ve got one game to play to get to the World Cup, which is a dream,” Englishman Graham Potter, who took over from Tomasson, told a media conference on March 30.
:We’ve seen it as a positive opportunity, and we’re looking forward to it.”
Potter led Sweden in their last two qualifiers, losing 4-1 in Switzerland and drawing with Slovenia at home, but in the end it turned out those results were immaterial as their victory in Nations League Group C1 – the third tier of the UEFA competition – threw them a lifeline.
For the European play-offs, the 12 runners-up in the group stage of World Cup qualifying were joined by four Nations League group winners who finished outside the top two in their groups, based on the 2024-25 UEFA Nations League interim overall ranking, and the Swedes were among those four teams.
PLAY-OFF WIN OVER UKRAINE
Having beaten Slovakia, Estonia and Azerbaijan to win their Nations League group, the Swedes secured a 3-1 play-off win over Ukraine in Valencia last week to stand on the cusp of a return to North America, where they came third in the 1994 tournament held on US soil.
“We’re obviously very happy and pleased that we got this opportunity, even though the qualification games weren't as good as we hoped,” Sweden captain Victor Lindelof said.
“The Nations League and the results we got there obviously gave us this opportunity... obviously very pleased and happy to be in this situation.”
After being booed by their home fans earlier in the campaign, Lindelof expects an entirely different welcome when he leads his team out at the sold-out Strawberry Arena on March 31 to face Poland.
“It’s always extra nice to have fans behind us, and a packed arena where they give us energy. It means a lot for me, but it will mean a lot to all the guys too,” the Aston Villa player said.
“I think there are a lot of people who are looking forward to going out on the field tomorrow and experiencing it.” REUTERS
