Sweden coach Graham Potter made some interesting calls while announcing the team squad for the FIFA World Cup 2026. He has picked Liverpool forward Alexander Isak and Arsenal striker Viktor Gyökeres for the World Cup squad, but Tottenham attacker Dejan Kulusevski has missed out on the 26-man list.

Isak’s season at Liverpool has been disrupted by injuries, limiting him to just eight league starts since his big transfer from Newcastle last summer. Both he and Gyökeres are part of a group of 11 players in the squad who are based in Britain.

“When you’ve had a long-term injury, it is never a straight road back. There is often one-step forward and one step back. Our challenge is to get Alex the best moment of the season and for him to hit top form, because if he does, he is a world-class player.” said Graham Potter while talking to the reporters at a press conference in Stockholm.

Talking about the decision to leave Dejan Kulusevski out, he said it wasn’t an easy choice, but it had to be made so that Dejan gets enough time to fully recover.

“A very, very difficult decision in terms of where he has been and what he’s done over the last year, where he’s at in terms of his rehab with four and a half weeks to go to that first game,” said Sweden coach Graham Potter.

Sweden had a poor qualifying run and ended up last in their group with just two points. However, their results in the Nations League gave them another chance, and they made it through to the finals after beating Ukraine and Poland in the play-offs.

“It’s incredibly exciting – a huge honour for me. The positive response from our supporters has been fantastic, and now we’re looking forward to creating more memories together during the World Cup.” said Graham Potter.

Sweden Squad for FIFA World Cup 2026

Goalkeepers: Viktor Johansson, Kristoffer Nordfeldt, Jacob Widell Zetterstrom

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

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

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