Sweden finished last in the qualifying group after, among other things, two humiliating losses to Kosovo - and the World Cup seemed a long way off.
TV4 profile Olof Lundh did not believe Sweden would advance.
Before the playoff game in March, the title of his new book was ready: "The Losing Generation - The Story of the Revolution That Sank Swedish Football".
Even the cover was ready.
“Understood that the opportunity existed”
But when Viktor Gyökeres scored the decisive 3-2 goal against Poland, he had to change his mind.
We decided, the publisher and I, that we would rewrite the World Cup playoff and then we would see how it ended. But we probably didn't really think that Sweden would reach the World Cup. There was another title that was more depressing than what it turned out to be - and a different cover, says Lundh.
Lundh understood that the World Cup chance was alive - thanks to a favorable draw, with Ukraine first out.
I understood that the chance existed, but the probability that Sweden would beat both Ukraine and Poland after going through the World Cup qualifiers... I thought it was simply low.
Players from the national team
Are you afraid of some jibes now from the national team?
In that case, you have to take it all. It's a reportage book and it's always a bit of fun when you write a book that lives right to the end - and then you also have to be prepared to throw it away, says Lundh.
The new title of the book is "All or Nothing - The Story of the Revolution That Was About to Break Swedish Football".
It depicts the chaos in the Swedish Football Association from the election of former Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt as chairman of the association in 2023 - to the firing of national captain Jon Dahl Tomasson after the qualifying fiasco.
“There will be new details”
It's still been a shocking time for Swedish football over these three years, with a grueling power struggle and a tight grip on the federation. So it's clear that it's been shocking - and it's a bit more positive that they reached the World Cup. But that doesn't take away everything else that happened.
There will be interesting insights and a lot of news in the book that have not been seen before.
The book will be published on May 20 by Albert Bonniers Förlag.
Name: Olof Lundh.
Age: 59.
Occupation: Journalist at TV4 and Fotbollskanalen. He also writes columns about sports and business in Dagens Industri and has his own podcast.
Merits: Sports Journalist of the Year 2015, Per Wendel Prize as News Journalist of the Year 2016, was a program host for the Stora Journalistpriset 2019 and was nominated for the Stora Journalistpriset as Voice of the Year 2022.
Previously released books: What I talk about when I talk about football, 2016. Allsvenskan according to Lundh, 2018. The national team according to Lundh, 2020. Sport and life according to Lundh, 2021. The temple in the desert, 2022. The last campfire, 2025.
