Sweden

Sweden are one of just three nations to have reached a FIFA World Cup final outside of Europe and the Americas, finishing runners-up in 1958 when they hosted the tournament and lost to a 17-year-old Pele’s Brazil 5-2 in the final.

The Blågult under Janne Andersson are built on structure, effort, and the disciplined implementation of a compact defensive shape that makes them uncomfortable opponents for more technically gifted teams. Alexander Isak, who has emerged as one of the Premier League’s most clinical finishers at Newcastle United, is the focal point the system builds toward: quick, sharp in the box, and comfortable holding the ball under pressure before releasing teammates. Viktor Gyokeres, who set extraordinary goalscoring records at Sporting CP in Lisbon with 43 goals in 50 appearances, provides the competition and alternative profile up front that gives Sweden genuine variety in attack.

Sweden’s most recent World Cup achievement was third place at Russia 2018, where they eliminated Italy in qualifying and then beat Switzerland and reached the quarter-finals before losing 2-0 to England. That run showed Sweden’s collective quality without Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who had retired from international football, was considerable.

The Ibrahimovic era, which spanned 116 caps and 62 goals across 15 years, coincided with a paradox: Sweden were their most entertaining and highest-profile when he played, but often their most successful when the collective shape could function without the unpredictability his game introduced. The 2018 quarter-final run, Ibrahimovic-free, is the most persuasive argument on that side of the debate.

Sweden operates on Central European Time, UTC+1 in winter and UTC+2 in summer. A 20:45 kickoff in Stockholm is 19:45 in London and 14:45 in New York. Check Sweden time for your local conversion.