Sweden bidding to make most of back-door World Cup entry / Photo: Jonathan Nackstrand - AFP/File
Sweden bidding to make most of back-door World Cup entry
Sweden are hoping a strikeforce featuring Premier League stars Alexander Isak and Viktor Gyokeres can fire them through a tricky World Cup Group F, after they scraped into the tournament without winning a single group game in qualifying.
Graham Potter's side will take on the Netherlands, Japan and Tunisia in North America, bidding to extend their run of reaching the knockout phase at each of the past four World Cups they have qualified for.
Sweden took an unusual path to the finals, collecting just two points from six matches in a disastrous campaign that saw them finish rock bottom of their group.
But their UEFA Nations League performance allowed them the opportunity of sneaking into the expanded 48-team tournament through the playoffs, which they took by beating Ukraine before a dramatic 3-2 victory over Poland.
The last time the Scandinavians played at a World Cup was also via a playoff win, over Italy, and they went on to make the 2018 quarter-finals in Russia before losing to England.
That was Sweden's best performance in the event since finishing third, in the United States, 32 years ago.
Despite their woes in qualifying, which saw previous coach Jon Dahl Tomasson sacked last October, hopes are high of a deep run under Potter.
The Englishman, who made his name at Swedish club Ostersunds, took over the national team shortly after being fired by Premier League side West Ham.
"It was a damaged team. In more ways than one, literally. This shows how football can change. But it's darkest before the dawn," Potter said.
"As a coach, I have to create the right environment. Try to help players build courage and remove fear, and always try to have fun."
Gyokeres has started to find form for Arsenal and followed a hat-trick against Ukraine with the memorable late winner against Poland, while Isak is still seeking full fitness after an injury-blighted first campaign at Liverpool following his big-money move from Newcastle.
"It has been tough of course, the autumn was incredibly tough, one of the darkest places we have been," said midfielder Lucas Bergvall.
"But now that we saw the light at the end of the tunnel against Ukraine, we have been incredibly good, working as a team."
Sweden get their tournament under way against Tunisia in Guadalupe, Mexico, on June 14, before facing the Netherlands in Houston six days later and Japan in Arlington, Texas on June 25.
- Confident Japan -
Three-time runners-up the Netherlands will be strong favourites to progress from the group after stitching together a 14-match unbeaten run, including all eight qualifying games.
Ronald Koeman's side are bidding to build on impressive displays in their past two major tournaments, after being edged out on penalties by Argentina in the 2022 quarter-finals before suffering a heartbreaking defeat by England in the semis of Euro 2024.
Japan eased into an eighth consecutive World Cup, losing just once in 16 qualifiers and conceding only three goals.
The Blue Samurai have made the last 16 in the past two World Cups and will be no pushovers.
Hajime Moriyasu's men have produced several upsets against European giants in recent years, downing both Spain and Germany at the 2022 World Cup.
"I don't think it's an easy task to win the World Cup. I'm confident that we can win no matter who we face," Moriyasu, who has been in charge since 2018, said after Japan's 1-0 friendly win over England at Wembley in March.
Tunisia will be the Group F outsiders and have failed to reach the knockout phase in all of their past six World Cup appearances.
But the north Africans can still not be taken lightly.
They come through qualifying without conceding a single goal and will be desperate to prove their shock victory over eventual 2022 runners-up France in Qatar was no fluke.
S.Iyer--MT
