Welcome to The Athletic’s 2026 World Cup tactical group guides, walking you through the key battles on the pitch, the players to look out for, and the fun facts to impress your friends ahead of the tournament.

Norway did not sneak through — it bulldozed through, and Haaland did it with the energy of a man who benches small cars for fun and whose hair has its own agent. Anyway, Group I features France, Senegal and Iraq.

Entering its first World Cup since 2018, Sweden will bring a strong roster with some recognizable names. Premier League fans in particular will be well acquainted with some of Sweden's attacking talent,

Find out how to watch Sweden vs Greece live. Full details on TV channel, live stream options, kick-off time, team news, and head-to-head record for the pre-World Cup friendly at Strawberry Arena.

Gudmundsson (hamstring) sat out Monday's international friendly matchup against Norway but retains a chance of being fully fit for the World Cup opener

In the main qualification campaign, they failed to win a single match and had to call on a man who owes so much to the Swedish game to rescue them. That man was Graham Potter. The former Chelsea, Brighton and West Ham boss made his name with Ostersunds in Sweden,

The 2026 FIFA World Cup will feature some of soccer's biggest names. That includes forward Viktor Gyökeres, who will suit up for Sweden. The Swedish national team will become very familiar with North Texas throughout the World Cup.

In an intense pre-World Cup friendly, Sweden was on track to defeat Greece until a stoppage-time goal led to a 2-2 draw. Striker Viktor Gyokeres, fresh from Arsenal's Champions League loss, scored for Sweden,