Stockholm saw two leads disappear in Tuesday’s UEFA World Cup qualifying playoff final versus Poland, but Sweden’s Viktor Gyokeres scored in the 88th minute to give Graham Potter’s men a place in the 2026 World Cup this summer.
MORE — UEFA World Cup playoffs schedule
Anthony Elanga and Gustaf Lagerbielke had given Sweden leads but Nicola Zalewski and Karol Swiderski had quick answers for Poland and Sweden were fearing the worst after failing to win a single game in qualifying for reached the playoff thanks to their Nations League prowess.
But Arsenal star man Gyokeres cleaned up a late mess and secured a spot for his men in this summer’s North America-based showcase.
Sweden vs Poland final score: 3-2
Goalscorers: Anthony Elanga 20′, Nicola Zalewski 33′, Gustaf Lagerbielke 44′, Karol Swiderski 55′, Viktor Gyokeres 88′
Viktor Gyokeres goal — Sweden 3-2 Poland
The Arsenal man cleans up an 88th-minute mess and Sweden could be headed to the World Cup!!
Karol Swiderski goal — Sweden 2-2 Poland
Always follow the ball in the box, kids.
Gustaf Lagerbielke goal — Sweden 2-1 Poland
Nicola Zalewski goal — Sweden 1-1 Poland
Anthony Elanga goal — Sweden 1-0 Poland
A clever pass from Brighton’s Yasin Ayari cues up an excellent finish for Newcastle’s Anthony Elanga.
Sweden vs Poland preview — by Joe Prince-Wright
Sweden host Poland in Stockholm on Tuesday with qualification for the 2026 men’s World Cup on the line.
MORE — UEFA World Cup playoffs schedule
Arsenal’s Viktor Gyokeres scored a hat trick for Sweden as they beat Ukraine 3-1 last Thursday to host one of the four playoff finals in the UEFA region. The equation is very simple for Sweden: win at home against Poland and they are heading to the World Cup for the first time since 2018 when they reached the quarterfinals. New head coach Graham Potter has only been in charge for three games but qualifying Sweden for the World Cup would be a huge achievement.
Poland are also relying on their giant center forward and national icon, Robert Lewandowski, to propel them to a third-straight World Cup. The Poles were made to work extremely hard for their semifinal win against Albania in Warsaw last week as they trailed but Lewandowski and Zielinski scored in the second half to set up this final.
Sweden team news, focus
When you think about Alexander Isak and Dejan Kulusevski both missing through injury, plus Lucas Bergvall not yet fully-fit, you start to wonder about what this Swedish team can achieve if they reach the World Cup finals this summer. Gabriel Gudmundsson and Isak Hien came off with injuries against Ukraine with the latter out of this game but Gudmundsson will be fine to keep flying down the left flank. Potter’s preferred 3-4-2-1 system suits this Swedish squad extremely well and their plan will be to get the ball wide early and find Gyokeres with the likes of Anthony Elanga and Yasin Ayari arriving late into the box.
Poland team news, focus
This Polish side has tons of experience with Lewandowski, Zielinski, Bednarek, Kiwior, Moder, Piatek, Grosicki and Swiderski all previously appearing in multiple major tournaments. Poland prefers the 3-4-3 system so it will be a very tight game tactically, and they will try to frustrate the Swedes and then rely on feeding Lewandowski around the box where he can work his magic.
Sweden vs Poland prediction
This feels like Sweden have some momentum and will edge a tight one to reach the World Cup. Sweden 2-1 Poland.
How to watch Sweden vs Poland live, stream link and start time
Kick off time: 2:45pm ET Tuesday (March 31)
Venue: Strawberry Arena — Solna, Stockholm
TV Channel/Streaming: fubo, ViX (in USA)
