After making it to the quarterfinals of the 2018 World Cup and failing to qualify in 2022, Sweden is back in the world’s premier football competition. Despite a disastrous European qualifying campaign in which they picked up just two draws and four losses, Blågult snuck into the playoffs through their UEFA Nations League performance and took down both Ukraine and Poland to advance to the 48-team bracket. They’ll play in Group F alongside the Netherlands, Japan, and Tunisia.

While 33 different players appeared in at least one match for Sweden during the qualification campaign, only 25 can travel to North America for the tournament, leaving some difficult calls for manager Graham Potter and his staff. On Tuesday, Potter finalized his squad. Here are the 25 players named to Blågult’s World Cup roster.

Full Roster

Goalkeepers (3): Viktor Johansson (Stoke City), Kristoffer Nordfeldt (AIK Stockholm), Jacob Widell Zetterström (Derby County)

Defenders (10): Hjalmar Ekdal (Burnley), Victor Lindelöf (Aston Villa), Daniel Svensson (Borussia Dortmund), Isak Hien (Atalanta), Gustaf Lagerbielke (Braga), Gabriel Gudmundsson (Leeds United), Carl Starfelt (Celta Vigo), Emil Holm (Juventus), Eric Smith (St. Pauli), Elliott Stroud (Mjalby)

Midfielders (6): Yasin Ayari (Brighton), Besfort Zeneli (Union SG), Jesper Karlström (Udinese), Mattias Svanberg (Wolfsburg), Lucas Bergvall (Tottenham Hotspur), Ken Sema (Pafos)

Attackers (6): Viktor Gyökeres (Arsenal), Gustaf Nilsson (Club Brugge), Benjamin Nygren (Celtic), Anthony Elanga (Newcastle), Alexander Isak (Liverpool), Alexander Bernhardsson (Holstein Kiel)

Analysis

Key Players

If Sweden makes a deep run through the World Cup this summer, it’ll be the result of its stellar attack. Gyökeres signed with the Gunners over the summer after a stellar couple of seasons with Sporting Lisbon, and this season, he’s scored 21 goals in all competitions to help Arsenal to the cusp of a Premier League-Champions League double. His strike partner in the front of Potter’s 3-5-2, Isak, hasn’t enjoyed quite so much success after his big-money transfer, scoring just three goals in 14 appearances for the Reds and breaking his leg in December. Still, if Gyökeres and Isak are in form, they’ll have a trio of young, promising midfielders to feed them the ball, as Ayari, Nygren, and Bergvall are all regular contributors for competitive teams. Blågult’s defense can be shaky, especially against top opposition, as Johansson’s Stoke City finished in the bottom seven in the Championship, but they have a strong enough attack to win at least one knockout game.

Key Omissions

Two names absent from the roster stand out, albeit for different reasons. Bergvall’s Spurs teammate, Dejan Kulusevski, should’ve always been considered a long-shot given that he’s missed the entire season with a knee injury, but his absence will be a big blow for Sweden nonetheless. He contributed three assists in 11 matches as part of Tottenham’s run to the Europa League title in 2024/25, including one in the second leg of the semifinals, and on paper, he remains one of Blågult’s most valuable players. Barcelona’s Roony Bardghji was another notable omission, as the 20-year-old has been starting lately for the La Liga champions. Bardghji also scored eight goals in all competitions as a 17-year-old with FC Copenhagen in 2023/24, slotting home the winner in a Group Stage match against Manchester United. Unfortunately for Bardghji, Sweden is deep at his position, with both Elanga and Nygren operating predominantly on the right wing.

Sweden World Cup 2026 Odds

Blågult are +10000 to win the World Cup, +350 to win Group F, and -250 to qualify for the knockout stages. They’ll open their tournament with a 10 p.m. ET match against Tunisia on July 14 in Monterrey, in which they are -110 favorites to win and +235 to draw.

Their best-ever finish in a World Cup is a runner-up, which they achieved on home soil in 1958. Sweden last won its group in 2018, when it was coincidentally also placed in Group F.