Sweden are no strangers to making a splash at a World Cup in North America.
The Swedes finished third at the 1994 tournament in the United States, one of the great national team performances of the modern era, and head into the 2026 edition with genuine ambitions of going deep into the tournament again.
Under English coach Graham Potter, who has transformed the mood and organisation of the national team since his appointment, Sweden qualified for the 2026 World Cup through the playoffs in March, navigating a difficult path to reach their first World Cup since 2018.
Potter is widely considered a near-perfect fit for international tournament football, calm, tactically flexible, and excellent at building a cohesive, trusting team environment.
The big news surrounding Sweden heading into this tournament is the fitness of their two world-class strikers.
Viktor Gyökeres is fully fit and in the form of his career after a remarkable debut season at Arsenal.
Alexander Isak arrives carrying injury concerns after one of the most turbulent individual seasons a high-profile signing has endured in the Premier League.
Together, however, they represent one of the most exciting strike partnerships at the entire 2026 World Cup.
Sweden are drawn in Group F alongside the Netherlands, Japan, and Tunisia, opening against Tunisia in Guadalajara on June 14.
Here are the 10 best soccer players in Sweden at the 2026 World Cup.
1. Viktor Gyökeres — Forward
Age: 28 | Club: Arsenal (England)
The most in-form striker in Sweden’s history and one of the most devastating centre-forwards in European football.
Gyökeres joined Arsenal from Sporting CP in July 2025 for £54.8 million (€63.5 million), having won back-to-back Primeira Liga titles in 2024 and 2025, the league’s top scorer award in his second season, and the Gerd Müller Trophy as Europe’s leading scorer.
His debut Premier League season produced 14 league goals and 21 across all competitions, making him Arsenal’s top scorer in a campaign that ended with the club winning the Premier League title.
The Swede is one of the best strikers in the world right now.
He has 33 caps and 20 international goals for Sweden, including a hat-trick against Ukraine in qualifying that helped send the team to the World Cup.
“He is a world-class player,” Potter told reporters when asked about Gyökeres ahead of the tournament.
2. Alexander Isak — Forward
Age: 26 | Club: Liverpool (England)
One of the most naturally gifted forwards in world football and the player the entire country hopes to see rediscover his best form in North America.
Isak joined Liverpool in September 2025 for £125 million, breaking the British transfer record, after scoring 54 Premier League goals in 86 appearances across three prolific seasons at Newcastle United.
His debut Liverpool campaign was devastated by injury.
In December 2025, Micky van de Ven’s sliding challenge during a match against Tottenham left Isak with a broken ankle and fibula, ruling him out for the vast majority of the remainder of the season.
He finished the year with just four goals in 26 appearances for club and country.
But the warning signs of what he is capable of when fit came in a Sweden warm-up match against Norway, when, trailing 3-0, he came off the bench, collected a pass on the halfway line, drove at the defence, and curled a perfect effort into the far top corner.
“Our challenge is to get Alex into the best possible condition so he can hit top form, because if he does, he is a world-class player,” Potter said.
He has 58 caps and 17 international goals, and if both Gyökeres and Isak hit form simultaneously, Sweden become one of the most frightening attacking teams at the tournament.
3. Victor Lindelöf — Defender (Captain)
Age: 31 | Club: Aston Villa (England)
Sweden’s captain and their most experienced outfield player at the 2026 World Cup.
Lindelöf spent many years at Manchester United, establishing himself as one of the most composed and intelligent centre-backs in the Premier League, before joining Aston Villa where he has continued to perform consistently at the top level.
He has 76 caps and 3 international goals and leads this Sweden squad with calm authority and the experience of someone who has competed in the Premier League for nearly a decade.
His communication, his reading of the game, and his ability to organise a defensive line are qualities that Potter will lean on heavily throughout the tournament.
4. Isak Hien — Defender
Age: 27 | Club: Atalanta (Italy)
One of the most physically dominant and consistently impressive centre-backs in Serie A and Sweden’s most reliable defensive performer in recent years.
Hien has established himself as a key figure at Atalanta, one of the most tactically demanding clubs in European football under Gian Piero Gasperini, and brings the kind of aggressive, relentless defensive quality that makes him ideal for tournament football.
He has 29 caps and partners Lindelöf in the heart of Sweden’s defence, giving Potter one of the most solid central defensive partnerships his side has had in years.
5. Anthony Elanga — Forward
Age: 24 | Club: Newcastle United (England)
One of the most exciting young wide forwards in Swedish football and a player who has established himself as a genuine Premier League force at Newcastle United.
Elanga was one of the most direct and dangerous wide players in the Premier League in 2025/26, using his pace and directness to create problems for even the best defensive units in England.
He has 30 caps and 6 international goals and brings the kind of electric pace and ability to run in behind defensive lines that gives Sweden a completely different attacking dimension alongside Gyökeres and Isak.
At 24, this is his first World Cup and the tournament where he could announce himself to the world.
6. Lucas Bergvall — Midfielder
Age: 20 | Club: Tottenham Hotspur (England)
The most exciting young talent in Swedish football and one of the most highly rated teenagers at the entire 2026 World Cup.
Bergvall was born on February 2, 2006, and has already established himself as a key player at Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League, where his technical quality, composure in possession, and ability to drive forward from central midfield have drawn rave reviews.
He has 10 caps but his quality and potential are apparent every time he plays for either club or country.
At just 20, he is the future of Swedish football — and at this World Cup, that future is already very much in the present.
7. Mattias Svanberg — Midfielder
Age: 27 | Club: VfL Wolfsburg (Germany)
One of Sweden’s most experienced and reliable midfielders and the player who provides the organisational backbone that allows the more creative players ahead of him to express themselves.
Svanberg has 41 caps and 2 international goals and has been a consistent performer in the Bundesliga, bringing the kind of technical precision and tactical discipline that a Graham Potter team is built upon.
His ability to control the tempo of a match and circulate possession under pressure is crucial to how Sweden want to play in North America.
8. Yasin Ayari — Midfielder
Age: 22 | Club: Brighton & Hove Albion (England)
One of the most promising young midfielders in the Sweden squad and a player who has been developing steadily at Brighton in the Premier League.
Ayari has 21 caps and 3 international goals and brings a technical quality and directness from central midfield that gives Sweden a different option in the engine room.
At 22 and in his first World Cup squad, Ayari is one of the most interesting young midfielders in Group F and a player whose development under Potter for both club and country has been accelerating.
9. Gabriel Gudmundsson — Defender
Age: 27 | Club: Leeds United (England)
Sweden’s most reliable left-back option and an important component of Potter’s defensive structure.
Gudmundsson has 24 caps and has been one of the consistent performers for Sweden throughout their qualifying campaign, offering pace, composure, and a real attacking threat going forward from the left flank.
He plays his club football at Leeds United in the Championship and brings a solid blend of defensive discipline and attacking intent that fits perfectly into Sweden’s system.
10. Daniel Svensson — Defender
Age: 24 | Club: Borussia Dortmund (Germany)
One of the most exciting young defenders in Swedish football and the highest-profile defensive talent to emerge from the country in recent years.
Svensson has established himself at Borussia Dortmund, one of the most competitive clubs in the Bundesliga, where the demands placed on defenders are among the highest in European football.
He has 13 caps and brings the kind of raw athletic ability, positional intelligence, and ball-playing composure that marks him out as a player with a significant future at the very top level.
At 24 and heading to his first World Cup, Svensson is another example of the depth of young talent Graham Potter has available across this Sweden squad.
Conclusion
Sweden head to the 2026 World Cup as one of the most intriguing squads in the entire tournament.
The talent at the top of the pitch — Gyökeres and Isak — is genuinely world-class.
The question is whether Isak can find his best form after a disrupted season, whether Bergvall can deliver on his enormous potential, and whether Potter can build the same tournament coherence with Sweden that he has in club football.
If everything falls into place, Sweden are capable of reaching the knockout stages and causing problems for anyone they face.
Check out more on every country that has won the World Cup, the best strikers in world football, the best young defenders in football, and the longest unbeaten runs in international football.
Who do you think will be Sweden’s best player at the 2026 World Cup? Let us know in the comments!
