FRISCO — Herman Johansson spent his entire professional career in his home country until six months ago, when FC Dallas acquired him from Swedish club Mjällby AIF ahead of the 2026 MLS season.
Sweden’s climate is vastly different from North Texas, experiencing just 14 days a year that eclipse 86 degrees, according to The Sweden Herald.
So to prepare for the FIFA World Cup, Johansson’s teammates looked to him for advice before arriving at the team’s base camp in Frisco.
Sweden’s preparation for the unfamiliar climate began at the team’s training facility in Stockholm, when they practiced and did cardio sessions on exercise bikes in spaces that were 100 degrees.
When the players stepped onto the pitch at 10 a.m. Tuesday, welcomed by a sea of cheers, the temperature was just 81 degrees with mild humidity. But still, 19 of the 26 players wore sleeveless shirts, and the team took water breaks every 15 minutes during the 90-minute session.
“It’s good to get used to it a bit,” Club Brugge forward Gustaf Nilsson said. “We’ve made some training for it back in Sweden. It’s obviously different from there. It’s not as hot, but we’re getting used to it.”
Nilsson, a 29-year-old striker, and Johansson shared the pitch together for the first time in Sweden’s preseason friendly against Norway on June 1, a 3-1 loss.
Johansson’s previous five years of professional experience were all for his former club. He climbed the league table with Mjällby once they returned to the Allsvenskan, the first division of Swedish soccer. He scored 17 goals and registered 15 assists over 136 matches across all competitions.
He had a standout season in 2025, scoring seven goals and picking up eight assists in a career-high 30 appearances for Mjällby, which won the Swedish top flight for the first time in 86 years.
“It feels crazy to go to the World Cup and go back home,” Johansson said. “So, of course it’s special, but it feels good.”