Sweden were always going to lose to France. That wasn't pessimism — it was arithmetic. A backline that shipped five goals to the Netherlands and barely survived Japan was never going to contain Kylian Mbappe. It didn't. The World Cup is over for the Swedes, and the work continues.
What's changed is that the path forward feels less murky than it did ten months ago. Last October, Sweden were bottom of their qualifying group with one point from four games, three consecutive 2-1 defeats having reduced the project to rubble. Jon Dahl Tomasson — never fully trusted by the Swedish public, a Dane coaching their national side — was sacked. In came Graham Potter, freshly dismissed by West Ham, and immediately tasked with a rescue job.
From the brink to the knockout stage
He pulled it off. Playoff wins over Ukraine and Portugal, then a 5-1 opening statement against Tunisia — Sweden hadn't felt this good at a major tournament in years. The Nations League lifeline that gave them a playoff route looked like a footnote; suddenly it looked like a springboard.
Then came the Netherlands. Five goals, no answers. A 5-1 defeat that exposed exactly what this squad still lacks: defenders who can handle elite pace and movement. The nervy draw with Japan to scrape through to the knockouts felt more like relief than progress. France, predictably, was the end of the road.
Potter has shown he can be tactically flexible, adapting to the players available rather than forcing a system. That's an asset. But flexibility only gets you so far when the defensive unit isn't built to compete with the world's top attackers. Sweden's odds in any future tournament will hinge almost entirely on whether that backline can be rebuilt — and right now, quality options are thin.
The pieces Potter is waiting on
The upside exists, and it's real. Dejan Kulusevski has been out for over a year with a knee injury — his return alone would shift Sweden's attacking dynamics considerably. Williot Swedberg and Roony Bardghji offer genuine promise going forward. Potter's connection to Swedish football, built during his time at Ostersunds, gives him credibility that Tomasson never quite earned.
But attackers win you games; defenders win you tournaments. Until Potter finds the kind of teak-tough backline Sweden built their reputation on, the ceiling on this project stays firmly in place.
