After Sweden’s failure in the World Cup qualifiers, where the men’s national team finished last in the group with only two points despite several world stars in the squad, there is now a last chance to take the team to the 2026 World Cup in North America. Two matches – both must be won – separate Blågult from a spot, and now it is clear which team awaits first: Ukraine.

Sweden has struggled since the Dane Jon Dahl Tomasson took over as head coach. The squad, filled with several world stars, failed to perform in the World Cup qualifiers and faced a disaster in the group.

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The losses became too much for the Swedish Football Association, which earlier this autumn chose to dismiss Tomasson and instead recruit the British coach Graham Potter to the Swedish men’s national team.

Potter, who is already well-known in Sweden after his time in Östersund, also has experience from the top English club Chelsea in the Premier League.

“I am very humble about the assignment, but also incredibly inspired. Sweden has fantastic players who deliver in the world’s best leagues week after week. My job will be to create conditions so that we as a team perform at the highest level to take Sweden to the World Cup next summer,” Potter said in a previous statement.

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At the draw for the qualifiers in Zurich on Thursday, Sweden got its first opponent. Sweden was drawn against a team from the fourth group, where Italy, Denmark, and Turkey could have also ended up. In the end, it was Ukraine that Sweden will face, as the former World Cup bronze medalist Martin Dahlin drew the lot.

The match will be played on March 26, 2026 – but not in Ukraine. Due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the match will be played in Poland, where the Ukrainians play their national team matches. If Sweden wins against Ukraine, either Poland or Albania awaits in a decisive final for the World Cup spot.

The final is decided in a single match on March 31, and the draw gave Sweden the advantage of home ground if the men’s national team advances there.