Gyokeres
The squad Goalkeepers: Viktor Johansson (Stoke City), Kristoffer Nordfeldt (AIK), Jacob Widell Zetterström (Derby County) Defenders: Hjalmar Ekdal (Burnley), Gabriel Gudmundsson (Leeds United), Isak Hien (Atalanta), Victor Lindelöf (Aston Villa), Eric Smith (St. Pauli), Carl Starfelt (Celta Vigo), Daniel Svensson (Borussia Dortmund), Gustaf Lagerbielke (Braga), Elliot Stroud (Mjällby) Midfielders: Yasin Ayari (Brighton), Lucas Bergvall (Tottenham), Jesper Karlström (Udinese), Benjamin Nygren (Celtic), Ken Sema (Pafos), Mattias Svanberg (Wolfsburg), Besfort Zeneli (Union Saint-Gilloise) Forwards: Taha Ali (Malmö), Alexander Bernhardsson (Holstein Kiel), Anthony Elanga (Newcastle), Viktor Gyökeres (Arsenal), Alexander Isak (Liverpool), Gustaf Nilsson (Club Brugge)
What it tells you Gyökeres and Isak in the same squad is, on paper, one of the most potent strike partnerships at the tournament. Gyökeres, 27, has been Arsenal's top domestic scorer this season and is currently chasing a Premier League and Champions League double. For Sweden, he is the hero — the man without whom none of this would be happening.
Isak's situation is more complicated. Liverpool signed him from Newcastle last summer in a high-profile move, but a broken leg sustained in December kept him out for nearly five months, including Sweden's entire playoff campaign. He returned in late April but has started only eight league matches all season. Potter was direct about the challenge: "When you've had a long-term injury, it is never a straight road back. Our challenge is to get Alex into peak form because when he is at his best, he is a world-class player." The question of how to pair two stylistically similar strikers — both want to play centrally, both want the ball to feet — is one Potter has not yet been forced to solve.
Captain Victor Lindelöf of Aston Villa, 75 caps, anchors the defense in Potter's back three. Isak Hien of Atalanta adds Serie A quality. Daniel Svensson of Borussia Dortmund operates as a wing-back on the right, Gabriel Gudmundsson of Leeds on the left — both given freedom to push forward and deliver the crosses that suit Gyökeres. Eleven of the 26 are based in Britain, giving the squad a distinctly Premier League flavor.The most painful omission is Dejan Kulusevski. The Tottenham midfielder has not played since last May — over a year out with a knee injury compounded by setbacks in recovery. "It was a difficult gut decision, but it was the right thing for us and for him," Potter said. Without Kulusevski, Sweden lose their most creative attacker.
Sweden's last World Cup, in 2018, ended in the quarterfinals against England. They were organized, pragmatic, and difficult to beat. Potter's squad has more individual quality than that team — Gyökeres and Isak alone represent a significant upgrade in attacking firepower — but less time together and an identity forged in desperation rather than design. The great escape of qualifying was exactly that. Now the question is whether the squad that barely made it here can compete once they arrive.Sweden are in Group F alongside the Netherlands, Japan, and Tunisia. They open against Tunisia on June 14 at Estadio BBVA in Monterrey, face the Netherlands on June 20 at NRG Stadium in Houston, and conclude against Japan on June 25 at AT&T Stadium in Dallas. View Sweden's full team profile →