2026 World Cup: France are "the worst possible draw" for Sweden

Ahead of Sweden's clash with France in the last-32 stage of the 2026 World Cup, Sports Mole's Football Editor Matt Law discusses if Graham Potter's side can harm the tournament favourites.

Matt Law, Football Editor: 'That is my real worry for Sweden in this game'

It is a major blow (losing Isak Hien): a player of that quality and experience. There are real suggestions the injury is a really bad one. 

The Sweden team doctor said he could be away from football for some time, so it is not just going to keep him out for a few weeks. You could tell from the player's reaction how serious it was. 

When teams lose players of that importance, there is no like-for-like replacement. Lindelof played a lot in midfield for Villa last season and he played in midfield against Japan, so he would likely drop back into the back three. 

But Victor Lindelof was notoriously vulnerable at Manchester United against speedy attackers running in behind him. If you are going to face any side with that kind of pace in this World Cup, the worst possible draw would be France. That is my real worry for Sweden in this game. 

They have been great fun to watch, though that is maybe not the best thing to say about a side, as it probably means they are doing well in some games and getting a hammering in others. 

That is exactly what happened: 5-1 one way, 5-1 the other, then the 1-1 draw. The draw against Japan is a decent result given Japan are a really good side. But it is a big ask for Sweden. 

They need their forward players to play well and they need to be tight defensively. They would almost need to take this to a shootout, because going end-to-end against France is not what you want. 

Sweden do not have the personnel to really sit in and make it difficult for France. 

They are going to have to use their best players in the final third, and that makes it really tough against that French attack. Sweden need Elanga, Isak, and Gyokeres to have outstanding games. 

The key question is whether Gyokeres can isolate Saliba and allow Isak and Elanga to attack the other players in the French defense. 

Upamecano is also a top centre-back with a lot of pace and strength. Gyokeres has one goal and two assists in three games: three goal contributions from a forward whose team is not one of the favourites is pretty good. 

These are the games that really measure how good you are. Sweden have had some really top strikers historically, with Ibrahimovic and Larsson standing out, and Isak comes in off the back of a really difficult season at Liverpool. 

Isak has 18 goals for the national side and Gyokeres has 21 in 36 games, which is a really good international record. They just need their forward players to play well and make it really difficult for the French defence, which they are more than capable of doing. 

My worry for Sweden is whether they have the players behind that to stop France going the other way.