Sweden secured a 3-1 victory over Ukraine in a World Cup playoff semifinal at Estadi Ciutat de Valencia in Valencia. The win, anchored by a hat-trick from forward Viktor Gyökeres, sends Sweden to a playoff final against Poland in Stockholm. The winner of that final will qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the USA, Canada, and Mexico. This match marked Sweden's first competitive win since November 2024, a result that helped the team regain public support after previous poor performances. The victory also boosted Sweden's FIFA world ranking, moving them from 42nd to 38th place for April.
Gyökeres opened the scoring six minutes into the match, with the goal assisted by Benjamin Nygren. He doubled Sweden's lead six minutes into the second half, with an assist from goalkeeper Kristoffer Nordfeldt. It remains unknown whether Nordfeldt's assist was intentional or a mishit. Gyökeres completed his hat-trick from the penalty spot in the 72nd minute after being fouled by Ukraine's goalkeeper.
Ukraine managed a late consolation goal to reduce the deficit to 3-1. The goal was scored by Matviy Ponomarenko. The match was played in Valencia because Ukraine has been unable to host matches in Kyiv since Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022, forcing the team to play home matches in various European cities. Ukraine last played in their own country in November 2021. Spain was selected to host this match due to its large population of Ukrainians displaced by the war.
I do not know if I will remain as Ukraine's coach, as my contract expires in two months and I have not received a renewal proposal.
The atmosphere in Valencia was dominated by Ukrainian support, with Swedish supporters vastly outnumbered by around 20,000 Ukrainian fans. Before the match, Ukraine's players walked onto the pitch hand in hand with 15 boys and girls, some children of soldiers and others from Zaporizhzhia. Ukrainian children, whose parents are soldiers or died in the war, served as mascots for the match. A banner reading 'Home is waiting' was held up during the national anthem, and the Ukrainian song 'Ukraina' by Taras Petrynenko was played before kickoff.
Ukraine faced significant challenges, missing key players Artem Dovbyk and Oleksandr Zinchenko due to injury, and Ruslan Malinovskyi and Yukhym Konoplya due to suspension for the Sweden match. The match occurred against a backdrop of continued conflict; according to Ukraine's foreign affairs ministry, 1,000 drone strikes were launched by Russia on Wednesday before the match. There was continued fighting in the southern Zaporizhzhia region and a Russian counter-offensive in the Kharkiv region. For Ukrainians, football has become a symbol of normality and a break from the dark sides of the war.
Sweden employed a five-back formation against Ukraine. The squad suffered an immediate impact, as defender Isak Hien left Sweden's squad due to an injury from the Ukraine match. The specific nature of his injuries or reasons for leaving the squad are not known.
Viktor Gyökeres was the difference between the teams, calling him 'fantastic' and 'one of the world's best strikers'.
The victory holds significant weight for Sweden's morale and competitive path. Sweden earned their playoff spot partly thanks to their performance in the UEFA Nations League. The win sets up a high-stakes final where qualifying for the World Cup is perhaps more important now than in a long time.
Financially, World Cup qualification carries substantial implications. A World Cup participation is estimated to bring around 100 million SEK gross in revenue from FIFA. Historically, SvFF's net revenue from World Cup participation has been around 30-40% of the gross amount. A 'best guess' estimate suggests net revenue of 25-35 million SEK for SvFF from World Cup qualification. A World Cup ticket would also activate larger payments from sponsors due to bonuses in partner agreements. The exact financial impact beyond these estimated gross and net revenues remains uncertain.
Demand for the final against Poland is intense. Tickets for the Sweden-Poland final sold out quickly after Sweden's second goal against Ukraine. Some tickets may be released over the weekend due to reassessment of reserved blocks. Poland purchased 1,800 tickets for the away section. Tickets are being resold on secondary markets for up to 2,000 SEK, which is not allowed by the Swedish Football Association.
Coaching futures present uncertainties. The loss to Sweden could cost Serhij Rebrov his job as Ukraine's coach. For Sweden, coach Graham Potter committed to the team for the long term this month.
Both teams navigated specific paths to reach this playoff. Ukraine secured a playoff spot by finishing second in Group D behind France.