Will Sweden play in FIFA World Cup 2026?

The Blue and Yellow will have another chance to qualify for the 2026 World Cup.

Sweden have very slim margins of making it to the 2026 FIFA World Cup next year. They failed to automatically earn a place in the main competition during the qualifiers.

Sweden will participate in the playoffs now with the hopes of making their way to the tournament. This might be strange news for some fans, given how they have performed in the qualifying stage.

Sweden’s record in the 2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers (UEFA)

Graham Potter’s current side were assigned to group B and didn’t have many big sides to face. Although they still managed to fare poorly and finished bottom of the group.

They had one of the poorest runs in the group games and finished at the bottom of the group with just two points, without securing a win in all their six matches. This resulted in the national team firing the previous manager and appointing Graham Potter as their next head coach.

However, even under him, they couldn’t muster a win. However, their hopes of making it to the competition are still alive.

How they managed to reach the playoffs will remain surprising. But it was all thanks to their performance in the 2024-25 UEFA Nations League. They still have a shot at reaching the 2026 World Cup despite things going wrong in the qualifiers.

Team	Played	Won	Draw	Loss	Points
Sweden	6	0	2	4	2

Reasons for the poor campaign

Despite boasting a star-studded team, Sweden disappointed in the qualifiers and failed to win any games. Their start to the qualifiers was also poor as they continued to suffer defeat. Despite having a chance to win against the likes of Kosovo and Slovenia, they dropped points.

The only tough side they faced in the group was Switzerland, which defeated them both times. However, Sweden will be hoping to count on their luck when they play in the playoffs.

Also read: Will Nigeria play in FIFA World Cup 2026?

How did Sweden reach the World Cup playoffs?

Several Nations League group winners who qualified through their World Cup qualifying groups didn’t require their own Nations League backup plan.

Sweden were assured a place in the play-offs for March of next year because enough of the group winners had qualified.

Nevertheless, Sweden became a Pot 4 team as a result of their inability to advance directly to the play-offs through their qualifying group.

They will participate in a tough European play-off group. The likes of Ukraine, Poland and Albania are in Play-off B lot. Just one team from each bracket of four will advance to the final round due to single-leg elimination. If they manage to get past these playoffs, Group F of the 2026 World Cup will await them, including teams like the Netherlands, Japan and Tunisia.

Next March, Viktor Gyökeres and Sweden will have one more opportunity to qualify for the World Cup. But it will be against some of the most difficult opponents.

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