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Sweden's 2026 World Cup squad blends proven veterans and rising stars. Here are the players most likely to determine how far the Swedes advance.

Sweden returns to the World Cup determined to reestablish itself among international soccer’s elite, bringing a balanced squad built around experienced leaders, young talent and several players capable of changing a match on their own.

Whether through goals, creativity or defensive stability, these are the Swedish stars most likely to shape the team’s fortunes as the tournament moves deeper into the group stage and beyond.

Viktor Gyökeres, Sweden’s Talisman at Arsenal

Born in Stockholm on June 4, 1998, Viktor Gyökeres spent years developing through Swedish and English youth academies before breaking through at Sporting CP in Portugal. There he became one of Europe’s most dangerous center forwards before joining Arsenal in July 2025, according to Transfermarkt.

At 6-foot-2 and built for physical combat in the box, Gyökeres is Sweden’s unquestioned attacking focal point. Head coach Graham Potter made that clear ahead of Sweden’s Group F clash with the Netherlands, as reported by ESPN‘s James Olley.

“They are the best ones for us, that’s the truth,” Potter said. “Individually, fantastic players in their own right. Different qualities, different attributes.”

Gyökeres delivered immediately in the tournament opener, contributing a goal and an assist in Sweden’s 5-1 victory over Tunisia on June 14, according to ESPN. He is the kind of all-around striker who scores from set pieces, wins aerial duels, holds up play under pressure, and manufactures chances from limited space.

Alexander Isak, Liverpool’s Premier League Star

Alexander Isak, born in Solna on Sept. 21, 1999, rose through AIK and Borussia Dortmund before establishing himself among Europe’s elite strikers at Newcastle United. In the summer of 2025, Liverpool paid approximately $169 million to bring him to Anfield, a fee that placed him among the most expensive purchases in Premier League history, according to Liverpool.com.

The season that followed was disrupted by fitness problems, with Isak managing just four club goals. The World Cup, however, has been a different story. Against Tunisia, he scored once and provided two assists, earning Player of the Match honors, according to LiverpoolFC.com‘s Joe Urquhart.

“It feels incredible,” Isak said, as quoted by MSN Sports. “There are many of us who are World Cup debutants, and to be able to debut in this way is a bit surreal, actually.”

A mobile, technically polished center forward with pace to burn and the ability to finish with either foot, Isak gives Sweden a second attacking dimension that few international squads can match.

Anthony Elanga: Speed and Width

Anthony Elanga, 24, was born in Hyllie, Sweden, and came up through the Manchester United academy before moving to Nottingham Forest in 2023. Newcastle United paid $73 million to sign him in July 2025, as BBC Sport reported, and his first Premier League season on Tyneside proved difficult with just one goal across all competitions in league play.

On the international stage, though, Elanga’s standing is more established. He scored the opening goal as Sweden edged Poland 3-2 in World Cup qualifying, sealing Sweden’s return to the tournament after the country’s absence from the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, according to Yahoo Sports.

Pure pace defines Elanga’s game. He has been clocked at approximately 23 mph in international competition, according to current-affairs.org. His direct running and ability to operate across the front line give Potter tactical options no matter the opponent. Potter’s 3-4-1-2 formation limited Elanga to a substitute role against Tunisia, but with the knockout stage approaching, his capacity to change a match off the bench remains a credible weapon.