FLASH
Shkruar nga Pamfleti
Sweden has announced the list of 26 players who will represent it at the 2026 World Cup, a tournament where the Scandinavians will record their 14th participation in history.
Dejan Kulusevski has not managed to recover in time and has been left out, while Hugo Larson is also missing from the list, but especially Runi Bardaxhi, the Barcelona attacking winger who was just declared champion with the Catalans.
The Swedes' greatest achievement remains the 1958 final, where they were defeated by Brazil, while in the 2018 edition they reached the quarterfinals.
Coach Graham Potter has selected a team based on quality in the offensive department. The list includes Premier League strikers, Arsenal's Viktor Giokeres and Liverpool's Alexander Isak. Albanian midfielder Besfort Zeneli is also part of the team. The captain of the Swedish national team will be Viktor Lindelof, one of the most experienced players in the team, with 75 appearances for the national team.
Sweden's road to the World Cup was a difficult and tense one. After a disappointing campaign in the European qualifying groups, where the team collected only two points, the Federation decided to dismiss coach Jon Dahl Tomason. In his place, Briton Graham Potter was appointed, who managed to return the team to the competition through the Nations League and the play-off phase.
In the playoff semi-final, in a group that also included Albania, Sweden defeated Ukraine 3-1, thanks to a hat-trick from Viktor Giokere. In the decisive final against Poland, the Swedes won 3-2, with the Arsenal striker scoring the winning goal just two minutes from time, sealing qualification for the World Cup.
Sweden will begin their World Cup adventure on June 14 in Monterrey, Mexico, against Tunisia. They will then face the Netherlands on June 20 in Houston, while their final group match will be played on June 25 in Dallas against Japan.
According to the tournament format, the top two teams from each group, along with the eight best third-place teams, will secure passage to the next stage.
Lini një Përgjigje