football 7 June 2026 Daily Monitor (Uganda)
Sweden Eyes Redemption at World Cup After Near Miss
After a chaotic qualification campaign that required a playoff lifeline, Sweden, under new coach Graham Potter, are heading to the World Cup aiming to prove they remain a force in international football. Quarter-finalists in 2018 but absent from Qatar 2022, their journey to this tournament was fraught with challenges. Source: https://www.monitor.co.ug/uganda/sports/world-cup/sweden-seek-redemption-after-grabbing-world-cup-lifeline-5485232
Sweden’s path to the World Cup was far from smooth, marked by a bottom-place finish in their qualifying group and a subsequent playoff victory secured through their Nations League performance. This precarious qualification has fueled a desire for redemption on the global stage, with the team eager to dispel notions of their decline.
Fans recall the team’s impressive quarter-final run in the 2018 World Cup and the third-place finish in 1994, fueling hopes for a resurgence. The arrival of English manager Graham Potter in October 2025, replacing Jon Dahl Tomasson, injected new optimism. Potter successfully guided the team through playoff matches against Ukraine and Poland, earning them a coveted spot in Group F alongside Tunisia, the Netherlands, and Japan.
Potter emphasizes a simplified, game-by-game approach, focusing on instilling belief and humility while extracting the best individual performances. “It’s trying to find that balance, it’s trying to have that humility and that belief, and then within that, there are things that you need to do to win the game,” Potter stated when announcing his 26-man squad.
Despite the presence of attacking talents like Viktor Gyokeres and Alexander Isak, and playmaker Lucas Bergvall, Sweden will be without the injured Dejan Kulusevski. Their opening match against Tunisia on June 14 in Mexico, followed by fixtures against the Netherlands and Japan, underscores the importance of a strong start to navigate the group stage and advance to the knockout rounds. Potter, with limited time to implement his strategies, is focused on team cohesion to maximize individual potential.