Sweden striker Viktor Gyokeres has an opportunity to achieve a footballing first in tonight’s World Cup qualification play-off final against Poland.
The Sweden squad find themselves on this stage thanks in no small part to the Arsenal striker, who netted all three goals in their 3-1 win over Ukraine in the semi-final.
It gives them a one-game shot at travelling to the 2026 World Cup in Canada, Mexico and the United States.
Viktor Gyokeres on course to seal historic Sweden qualification
Realising that dream would be notable enough, having only qualified for one of the last four World Cups.
However, in their last outing, the 2018 edition, they managed to reach the quarter-finals, showing they have plenty to offer the tournament proper.
Viktor Gyökeres 🆚 UkraineWhat a performance 👏#WCQ pic.twitter.com/QzCC9UMHCwMarch 30, 2026
Qualification this time, however, would be a world-first, as they’d become the first nation to earn passage to the main competition having finished bottom of their qualification group.
The Swedes had a disaster in Group B, recording no wins, two draws and four losses in their games against Switzerland, Kosovo and Slovenia.
How have they managed to reach the final of the qualifiers then, you ask? Bear with us here.
From the 12 UEFA qualification groups, each runner-up was entered into the play-offs, but to make that figure up to 16, four further countries – not already qualified or in the play-offs – were taken through based on their showing in the 2024/25 Nations League.
Luckily for Sweden, they performed excellently in Group C1 back in 2024, topping out undefeated with five wins and a draw.
Gyokeres also played a key role there, scoring four goals in one game – Sweden’s 6-0 routing of Azerbaijan, with further wins coming against Slovakia and Estonia.
The feat open to Sweden tonight is a recent phenomenon due to the introduction of the Nations League, with Gyokeres’ side being one of the biggest earlier beneficiaries, should they go through tonight. It’s almost certain that the Arsenal man will be handed the keys to unlock this achievement, on home turf at the Strawberry Arena, due to the injury of Alexander Isak.
Their opponents, Poland, have reached this stage by way of their second-placed finish in Group G of the World Cup qualifiers, beating Albania 2-1 in the semis last week.
