Sweden are out. Kylian Mbappé and France did what most expected them to do, and a Swedish side that was never really built to contain a world-class attack paid the price in the knockout round. The result stings, but the more interesting story is what comes next for Graham Potter and a squad still very much under construction.
Rewind eight months and Swedish football was in a genuinely grim place. Four games into qualifying, they had one point, sat bottom of their group, and Jon Dahl Tomasson — a Danish coach who never quite won the Swedish public over — was gone. Potter arrived having just been sacked by West Ham, a fairly desperate appointment dressed up as an exciting one.
It turned out to be the right call. He dragged them through qualifying, navigated the playoff route — wins over Ukraine and Portugal, no small thing — and got them to a World Cup where they beat Tunisia 5-1 in their opener. For Sweden fans, that felt like a different sport compared to what had come before.
The defence is still the problem
But the 5-1 hammering by the Netherlands exposed exactly what this team is: dangerous going forward, leaky at the back. The nervy draw with Japan underlined it. And against France, there was never really any doubt about the outcome. Sweden's defensive unit simply isn't at the level where you can absorb elite pressure and hit on the break — not yet.
That's the job. Potter has shown he can be flexible tactically, and his man-management appears to have genuinely reconnected players with the national team. But tactical flexibility only goes so far when you don't have the personnel to execute it defensively. Sweden's backline needs a serious upgrade, and that's not something you solve in one transfer window.
The attacking side is more promising. Dejan Kulusevski has been out for over a year with a knee injury — his return alone would change the dynamic of this squad considerably. Williot Swedberg and Roony Bardghji are also waiting for bigger roles. On paper, there's enough creativity and pace to make Sweden a threat in transition.
- Kulusevski's return from a long-term knee injury could be transformative
- Williot Swedberg and Roony Bardghji offer genuine depth in attack
- Defensive reinforcements remain the priority before the next qualifying cycle
Potter's position is stronger than it looks
Having made his name at Östersunds before his Premier League career, Potter isn't an outsider parachuted in. He understands Swedish football's culture, and the players have responded to that. From rock bottom of a qualifying group to a World Cup knockout stage appearance is a meaningful shift — even if France made the ceiling obvious.
For anyone tracking Sweden's odds heading into the next UEFA Nations League cycle, the defensive question is the only one that really matters. An attack built around Kulusevski, Swedberg, and Bardghji can trouble most sides. A backline that concedes five to the Netherlands cannot hold up against top-ten nations.
Sweden finished this tournament the same way they entered it — as a team that's genuinely mid-rebuild. Potter has earned the right to continue. Now he has to find the defenders to make it mean something.
