12 World Cups before 2026 (first in 1934); 2026 in North America will be Sweden's 13th — and a first since 2018, reached via the playoffs after finishing bottom of their qualifying group
The teenage midfielder (b. 2006) who broke into Spurs' first team and now anchors Sweden's youthful engine room. The future of the Blågult arriving early.
Overtook goalkeeper Thomas Ravelli (143) to become Sweden's most-capped player of all time
Passed Sven Rydell's long-standing record in 2014; returned at 41 in 2023 to add to the tally
⚠ The most-used eleven in recent matches under Graham Potter (June 2026) — a snapshot of recent form, never a forecast.
| PLAYER | POS | ERA | CAPS | GLS | FILE NOTE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zlatan Ibrahimović #10 | FW | 2001–2023 | 122 | 62 | Record scorer, gravitational ego, and a bicycle kick from 30 yards. Talks about himself in the third person; the third person agrees. |
| Gunnar Nordahl #9 | FW | 1942–1948 | 33 | 43 | Fireman turned goal machine — 43 in 33, plus 1948 Olympic gold, before AC Milan came calling. |
| Gunnar Gren #8 | MF | 1940–1958 | 57 | 32 | 'Il Professore' — one third of Milan's Gre-No-Li, and still playing in the 1958 final at 37. |
| Nils Liedholm #6 | MF | 1946–1958 | 23 | 11 | Captain in 1958 who opened the scoring against Brazil. Elegant enough to make even a 5–2 defeat look refined. |
| Henrik Larsson #7 | FW | 1993–2009 | 106 | 37 | King of Kings at Celtic; carried Sweden across three World Cups and un-retired more than once. |
| Anders Svensson #8 | MF | 1999–2013 | 148 | 21 | The quiet record-holder. 148 caps and a thunderbolt against Argentina in 2002. |
| Thomas Ravelli #1 | GK | 1981–1997 | 143 | 0 | Saved two penalties against Romania in 1994 and helped Sweden to a bronze. Goalkeeping by way of theatre. |
| Sven Rydell #9 | FW | 1923–1932 | 43 | 49 | Sweden's top scorer for over 80 years — 49 goals in 43 games before Zlatan ever laced a boot. |
| Kennet Andersson #9 | FW | 1990–2000 | 83 | 31 | The towering point of USA '94, his goals firing Sweden to a famous third place. |
| Tomas Brolin #11 | FW | 1990–1995 | 47 | 27 | Italia '90 breakout and the grinning face of the 1994 side, before injuries cut the story short. |
Sweden are football's great pragmatists — never the most decorated, never quite gone. One Olympic gold, a home final lost to Pelé, and a knack for the heroic third place. The Zlatan era ended, yet here they are again, this time smuggled in through the playoffs with an Isak-and-Gyökeres front line that would frighten anyone. A historian's favourite kind of side: stubborn, well-organised, and prone to the occasional act of brilliance.