Sweden failed in the World Cup qualifiers – last in the group with two points after six matches – but has a different path to the championship in the USA, Canada and Mexico. Thanks to the group victory in the Nations League, the playoffs await in March.
After the draw at the International Football Federation FIFA headquarters in Zurich, Switzerland, national team captain Graham Potter & Co know which nations the national team must win against to secure a ticket to the 2026 finals.
“Best chance”
In the semi-finals, an away match against Ukraine awaits – the war-torn country played all of its home matches in the qualifiers in Poland.
Dream draw?
"For a coach, a draw is a draw. There's nothing you can do about it. In my experience, all games are difficult," Potter says.
We need to make sure we are in a good place in March. Now it's time to use the time well.
Potter has a lot of work ahead of him until March 26th.
It looks like you have a lot of time, but it will go quickly, says Potter, briefly explaining what the work will look like.
It's a combination of meeting with the managers regularly, keeping an eye on the games and the players. See how they play and then go around to meet the players to get a feel for where they are mentally and in terms of confidence. It's going to be an exciting few months ahead.
With a win, Sweden will take a step closer to the World Cup and will face either Poland or Albania in the decisive match. A match that, thanks to the draw, will be played at home at the Strawberry Arena in Solna on March 31.
It's a bonus for us. But my focus is 100 percent on Ukraine. We have to make sure we win that game first, but if we win it, it's good to have a home game.
Both the semifinals and finals will be decided in singles matches.
42 out of 48 done
On December 5, the draw for the World Cup playoff groups will be made in Washington DC, where the playoff teams will be placed in the fourth and worst seeded group together with the six lowest-ranked World Cup teams. 42 of 48 countries are qualified for the championship at the draw – but it will be clear which group Sweden will end up in if the national team advances from the playoff matches.
Facts: Europe's playoff matches
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Semi-finals: Italy–Northern Ireland and Wales–Bosnia and Herzegovina. Final: Wales/Bosnia and Herzegovina–Italy/Northern Ireland.
Semi-finals: Ukraine–Sweden and Poland–Albania. Final: Ukraine/Sweden–Poland/Albania.
Semi-finals: Turkey–Romania and Slovakia–Kosovo. Final: Slovakia/Kosovo–Turkey/Romania.
Semi-finals: Denmark–North Macedonia and Czech Republic–Ireland. Final: Czech Republic/Ireland–Denmark/North Macedonia.
World ranking: 28.
This is how it went in the World Cup qualifiers: Couldn't upset France and had to fight with Iceland for second place in the group. Ukraine won both meetings with the Icelanders, 5–3 and 2–0. The war-torn country played all its home games in Poland.
Notable: Ukraine has only played in one World Cup final, in Germany in 2006, when the team made it all the way to the quarter-finals. In Euro 2021, Sweden's most recent championship, Ukraine knocked out Blågult after extra time in a dramatic round of 16.
A total of 48 national football teams will be allowed to play in the Men's World Cup in the summer of 2026 – 42 places are booked:
Asia: Australia, Iran, Japan, Jordan, South Korea, Uzbekistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia.
Africa: Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt, Algeria, Ghana, Cape Verde, South Africa, Ivory Coast, Senegal.
South America: Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Uruguay.
North and Central America and the Caribbean: USA, Mexico, Canada (host nations), Haiti, Panama, Curaçao.
Oceania: New Zealand.
Europe: England, France, Croatia, Portugal, Norway, Germany, Netherlands, Belgium, Austria, Switzerland, Spain, Scotland.
16 European national teams will play a playoff in March for four World Cup spots.
Six national teams from Asia, Africa, South America, Oceania, North and Central America and the Caribbean will compete in a playoff for two World Cup spots in March.
