Sweden Name World Cup Squad: Three Allsvenskan Players Make the Cut

Graham Potter has named his 26-man Sweden squad

Graham Potter has named Sweden’s 26-man squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Alexander Isak returns from injury, while Dejan Kulusevski and Roony Bardghji miss out. Sweden open Group F against Tunisia on 14 June in Mexico.

Potter includes Nordfeldt, Taha Ali and Stroud from the Swedish league as Sweden prepares for Group F in Mexico...

The Sweden boss has gone straight to a final 26-man group for the tournament in North America instead of picking an extended preliminary list. The announcement comes just over a month before Sweden open their Group F campaign against Tunisia in Mexico on 14 June.

Liverpool forward Alexander Isak is one of seven players recalled after missing March’s play-offs against Ukraine and Poland. Defenders Isak Hien and Eric Smith, who both left the squad before the Poland game with injuries, are also included.

Alexander Bernhardsson and Emil Holm have recovered in time to make the cut, but Dejan Kulusevski misses out after not recovering from his long-term injury at Tottenham.

Roony Bardghji is a notable absentee after making 26 appearances in his first season at Barcelona. Fellow Spain-based forward Williot Swedberg has also been left out.

Potter has brought back goalkeepers Viktor Johansson and Jacob Widell Zetterstrom, who both missed the March internationals. They’re likely to serve as deputies to Kristoffer Nordfeldt, with Noel Tornqvist and Melker Ellborg missing out.

Nordfeldt, Taha Ali, and Elliot Stroud are the three Allsvenskan players in the squad. Stroud and Smith make the cut despite not yet earning a senior cap for Sweden.

“We have turned and turned every stone and investigated the possibilities and I have carefully considered the situation before making this decision, which was very tough,” Potter said.

“I have chosen a group that can stand strong together and in which the players get the best out of each other. A tournament is something different from an ordinary gathering, we are faced with other challenges over time that we need to handle together. And we build that capacity with the right mix of players, where everyone matters,” said the head coach ahead of his first major tournament.

VM-truppen 2026 är här! 🇸🇪#FIFAWorldCup pic.twitter.com/wUEkSbETF2

— Svensk Fotboll (@svenskfotboll) May 12, 2026

The Sweden squad for the World Cup

Goalkeepers: Kristoffer Nordfeldt, Viktor Johansson, Jacob Widell Zetterstrom

Defenders: Gustaf Lagerbielke, Victor Lindelof, Gabriel Gudmundsson, Daniel Svensson, Elliot Stroud, Carl Starfelt, Isak Hien, Emil Holm, Hjalmar Ekdal, Eric Smith 

Midfielders: Lucas Bergvall, Jesper Karlstrom, Yasin Ayari, Mattias Svanberg, Besfort Zeneli, Ken Sema

Forwards: Gustaf Nilsson, Benjamin Nygren, Anthony Elanga, Viktor Gyokeres, Taha Ali, Alexander Isak, Alexander Bernhardsson

Sweden's Group F fixtures

Sunday, 14th June: Sweden - Tunisia, Guadalupe, Mexico (20:00 CST local time, 04:00 CEST on Monday 15th June)

Saturday, 20th June: The Netherlands - Sweden, Houston, United States (12:00 CST local time, 19.00 CEST) 

Thursday, 25th June: Japan - Sweden Arlington, United States (18:00 PM CST local time, 01:00 CEST on Friday, June 26th)