The Swedish national team has announced the lineup for the match against Ukraine in the semi-finals of the World Cup 2026 qualifiers. The match will be crucial in the fight for a place in the World Cup. This is reported by Suspilne Sport.
The match Ukraine – Sweden will take place on March 26 at 21:45. The winner will advance to the playoff final, where they will face the winner of the match between Poland and Albania.
Match Ukraine vs Sweden: Who is in the Opponent's Squad
The Swedish team has announced 26 players, but without some key players. Due to injuries, Alexander Isak and Dejan Kulusevski will not play.
There is also intrigue regarding the goalkeeper position. Head coach Graham Potter has not yet decided on the starting goalkeeper.
Swedish national team roster:
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Goalkeepers – Melker Ellborg ('Sunderland'), Kristoffer Nordfeldt ('AIK'), Noel Thornqvist ('Malmö')
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Defenders – Gabriel Gudmundsson ('Leeds'), Isak Hien ('Atalanta'), Herman Johansson ('Dallas'), Victor Lindelof ('Aston Villa'), Gustaf Lagerbielke ('Braga'), Karl Starfelt ('Celta'), Elliot Stroud ('Malmö'), Daniel Svensson ('Borussia Dortmund')
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Midfielders – Taha Ali ('Malmö'), Yasin Ayari ('Brighton'), Lukas Bergvall ('Tottenham'), Jasper Karlström ('Udinese'), Hugo Larsson ('Eintracht'), Mattias Svanberg ('Wolfsburg'), Erik Smith ('St. Pauli'), Besfort Zeneli ('Union Saint-Gilloise')
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Forwards – Rooney Bardhi ('Barcelona'), Anthony Elanga ('Newcastle'), Victor Dyerkeresh ('Arsenal'), Gustav Lundgren (GAIS), Gustav Nilsson ('Brugge'), Benjamin Nygren ('Celtic').
World Cup 2026 Qualifying Playoffs: What Awaits Ukraine
Despite the personnel losses, key players remain in the Swedish squad – notably Victor Dyerkeresh and Victor Lindelof.
Players who missed previous matches due to injuries have returned to the squad, including Lukas Bergvall. Elliot Stroud received his debut call-up.
The Ukrainian national team continues to fight for a place in the World Cup 2026. If they win against Sweden, the team will play a decisive match for a spot in the tournament on March 31.
It is worth noting that the center-back of Zhytomyr's 'Polissya' Eduard Sarapiy has been called up to the Ukrainian national team for the playoff qualifications for the 2026 World Cup. He will replace the injured Maksym Talovierov from 'Stoke City', who suffered an ankle injury and will be out for the rest of the season.