- The Sweden coach discusses his side's dramatic route to the FIFA World Cup, the quality within and the brilliance of Viktor Gyokeres.
"VAN" (Sports Desk - 05.06.2026) :: Sixty-eight years ago, Sweden took part in the FIFA World Cup™ final. Led by Englishman George Raynor, the Blågult sunk the likes of Hungary and West Germany on home soil to meet Brazil in the Solna showpiece. That proved a step too far, however, as goals from Vava, Pele and Mario Zagallo earned the Seleção their maiden crown with a 5-2 win.
Fast forward to this year's finals and Sweden looked set to miss out altogether, until another Englishman came to the rescue.
Graham Potter was appointed with two qualifiers left and while he couldn't stage a miraculous recovery, the Swedes' UEFA Nations League showing gave them a second chance in the European play-offs.
Potter and his charges grabbed that opportunity with both hands. A 3-1 reverse of Ukraine set up a winner-takes-all clash with Poland back in Solna, in which Viktor Gyokeres bundled home a dramatic 88th-minute winner.
"Really difficult to describe or explain (my emotions)," Potter told FIFA about that clash. "It almost feels like an out-of-body experience. You watch a goal go in quite late, and then you see the bench running on to the pitch and it's almost like, 'Is this really happening?'
"It was such a tough game, as you can imagine. Everything about a play-off, what's at stake. But (I'm) super-happy with the team, super-proud of the team, because we had to suffer, we had to dig deep, and we did, and now we've got an amazing reward."
Potter climbed the coaching ladder with Swedish minnows Ostersunds, taking them from the country's fourth tier to the first, winning the Svenska Cupen and presiding over a first European campaign. He has since coached Swansea, Brighton, Chelsea and West Ham, but never thought he'd follow in Raynor's footsteps on to the international stage.
"I didn't really think about it, to be honest," Potter said of international coaching. "Everybody I've spoken to has said tournament football is amazing. I'm so grateful that I've had this experience, it's going to be a memory for life for me. To go to the World Cup, of course, is a dream. It's hard to sink in, but we're so looking forward to it."
When Potter entered the hot seat, Sweden had lost three and drawn one of their qualifiers and scored just twice, leaving them rooted to the bottom of Group B and in need of drastic change.
"The team was in a bad place just because of results, and that can happen," he continued. "(There was) a lot of negativity around the team, and (they had) probably lost a bit of confidence, a little bit of trust in themselves as a team, and maybe each other to a certain extent in the context of the national team.
"The individual quality in the team is without doubt, but it's how it comes together as a group and how we deal with the responsibility. That was the foundation. That's where we started, (looking at) how we could be more balanced as a team between defence and attack, making sure we're stable and trying to use the players' strengths."
One of the biggest strengths the team has is in their forward line. While Alexander Isak missed the play-offs through injury, Viktor Gyokeres bagged a hat-trick in the win over Ukraine before notching that dramatic Poland winner, and Potter couldn't be happier with the contribution of his side's talisman.
"Victor Gyokeres has been incredible for us, on and off the pitch," he said of the Arsenal forward, who has scored 20 times from 33 caps. "Obviously, his goals have won us the games, but also how he's worked for the team, how he's put himself in situations for the team, tirelessly defending. I think he's been amazing."
Gyokeres and Co will need to be on top form if they're to escape a Group F which contains Tunisia, Netherlands and Japan, but Potter is keen for his players to relish the experience they've earned.
"It's a tournament that brings everybody together, and we want to play our part in that," he stated. "(As a team) they're far from perfect, but in some ways that's what it means to be a team, what it means to represent Sweden. They had to suffer, they had to dig in, they had to show some quality at times, and they did all that. We want to represent our country in the best way, show who we are collectively and as individuals, and ultimately enjoy it."
Cr-FIFA2026
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