Valencia

Swedish national team player Gustav Lundgren ruptured his Achilles tendon during a warm-up before GAIS's Allsvenskan opener, a devastating blow that rules him out of the World Cup. The 30-year-old, who recently helped Sweden qualify, was helped off the field and faces a long rehabilitation.

Many of Spain's popular coastal cities are in dire need of sweeping tourism reforms as visitor numbers have made them 'impossible to live' in, according to lawmaker Alberto Ibáñez. Cities including Alicante and Valencia have reached breaking point, with neighbourhoods being transformed into 'sets for tourists' and locals increasingly being pushed out, and Ibáñez has formally asked Spain's parliament to create a subcommittee to examine the impact of tourism on residents' quality of life.

Sweden defeated Ukraine 3-1 in a World Cup playoff semifinal in Valencia, propelled by a Viktor Gyökeres hat-trick, to advance to a decisive final against Poland in Stockholm where the winner qualifies for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Valencia's City Council has approved new regulations limiting holiday homes to 2% per neighborhood, described by Mayor María José Catalá as the most restrictive in Spain. The move aims to address tourism chaos and protect residential areas.

Swedish national team players Gustaf Lagerbielke, Benjamin Nygren, and Noel Törnqvist have developed an unusual evening routine of stargazing and discussing conspiracy theories, including the unsolved Palme murder and alien existence, while in Valencia for a World Cup playoff.

Sweden captain Victor Nilsson Lindelöf is playing with a face mask due to a broken nose as his team prepares for a crucial World Cup playoff semifinal against Ukraine in Valencia on Thursday. Lindelöf believes this is most likely his last chance to play in another World Cup.