Graham Potter has been here before. The pressure of a tournament deadline, the weight of expectation, the need to get things right before the stakes become irreversible. Sweden scraped through the European play-offs after beating Ukraine and Poland, and the manner of that qualification — managing to reach the World Cup without winning a single game in their qualifying group — means the questions about this team have never fully gone away. Thursday’s friendly against Greece at Strawberry Arena in Stockholm on June 4 is the last chance to answer them on home soil before the tournament begins.
Sweden will be making their first World Cup appearance since 2018, and Potter arrives at this fixture carrying the weight of two contrasting realities: a squad with world-class attacking firepower in Viktor Gyökeres and Alexander Isak, and persistent doubts about whether the system around them is capable of doing them justice.
Greece are not here to make up the numbers. Ivan Jovanović’s side qualified with conviction, and key players like Vangelis Pavlidis and Christos Tzolis are capable of punishing any Swedish sloppiness. The Ethniki are a competitive, organised side. What happens on Thursday will matter.
Match Details
| Detail | Info |
|---|---|
| Match | Sweden vs Greece |
| Date | Thursday, 4 June 2026 |
| Kick-off | 13:00 BST / 14:00 Local (Stockholm) |
| Venue | Strawberry Arena, Stockholm, Sweden |
| TV | SVT (Sweden) |
| Context | FIFA World Cup 2026 Pre-Tournament Friendly |
World Cup Context: What Both Teams Need From Stockholm
Sweden open their Group F campaign against Tunisia on June 14 before facing the Netherlands on June 20 and Japan on June 25. It is a group that rewards organisation and efficiency — precisely the qualities that Potter’s side have shown in flashes but not yet consistently. Tuesday’s Nordic derby against Norway at the Ullevaal Stadion will give Potter vital information about his starting XI, but Thursday’s game against a competent, tactically structured Greek side offers a different test: one closer in nature to what they will face at the World Cup itself.
For Greece, the context is different but no less significant. Jovanović’s side are heading into a World Cup for the first time since 2014 — and they know that their group contains Spain, Cape Verde and Uruguay. Preparation time is precious. A competitive display in Stockholm, against a side that features Gyökeres, Isak and Anthony Elanga, would be worth far more than the result on the scoresheet.
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Sweden Team News & Predicted Lineup
Potter’s 26-man squad includes Liverpool forward Alexander Isak and Arsenal striker Viktor Gyökeres, while Tottenham attacker Dejan Kulusevski has missed out through injury. Isak’s season at Liverpool has been disrupted by injuries, limiting him to just eight league starts since his big transfer from Newcastle last summer. Potter himself has been cautious in his public assessment: “When you’ve had a long-term injury, it is never a straight road back. There is often one step forward and one step back. Our challenge is to get Alex the best moment of the season and for him to hit top form, because if he does, he is a world-class player,” the head coach said at his squad announcement press conference.
The squad also includes midfielders Yasin Ayari (Brighton), Lucas Bergvall (Tottenham), and Anthony Elanga, with 11 of the 26 players based at British clubs. Gyökeres — ranked 13th in FourFourTwo’s list of the best strikers in the world — has been Arsenal’s top scorer and is the primary source of attacking threat. Whether Potter starts both Gyökeres and Isak against Greece, or preserves one for the tournament opener against Tunisia on June 14, is the key selection question hanging over this fixture.
Recent Form (last 5): W W D — — Ukraine 1–3 Sweden ✅ | Sweden 3–2 Poland ✅ | Norway 0–0 Sweden 🟡 (today, result pending)
Predicted XI — 4-3-3:
Viktor Johansson
Holm Hien Lindelof Gudmundsson
Karlstrom Svanberg Bergvall
Elanga Gyokeres Isak
Greece Team News & Predicted Lineup
Ivan Jovanović has built a Greece side that is hard to beat, well-organised, and capable of scoring goals when the system clicks. Experienced captain Anastasios Bakasetas has made more appearances (77) and scored more goals (18) than any other player in the current Greece squad — and his creative influence from an advanced midfield role is the axis around which Jovanović’s system revolves. Vangelis Pavlidis, who has scored five goals in eight Primeira Liga games for Benfica this season, leads the attack and will be the primary aerial and physical threat against Sweden’s defence.
Konstantinos Tsimikas of Roma brings attacking quality from left-back, while Konstantinos Mavropanos of West Ham and Koulierakis of Wolfsburg form a physically powerful centre-back partnership. Christos Tzolis, Greece’s most direct and dangerous wide player, carries the threat from the flanks. Greece did not qualify for this World Cup by accident — Jovanović has created a disciplined, organised structure that makes them difficult to break down and dangerous on the counter.
Recent Form (last 5): W W W D W Greece 5–1 Belarus ✅ | Scotland 2–3 Greece ✅ | Greece 1–0 Scotland ✅ | Greece 0–0 Denmark 🟡 | Greece 0–1 Denmark ❌
Predicted XI — 4-2-3-1:
Vlachodimos
Vagiannidis Mavropanos Koulierakis Tsimikas
Kourbelis Zafeiris
Tzolis Bakasetas Karetsas
Pavlidis
Head-to-Head Record
Sweden and Greece have a limited head-to-head history at international level, with the two sides meeting infrequently outside of European qualifying campaigns. Sweden hold a positive overall record in the fixture, with their technical quality and physical depth typically proving decisive. The last competitive meeting between the two sides came in UEFA qualifying, with Sweden winning both legs. This friendly represents a different context — a final tuneup rather than a high-stakes qualifier — but Greece will not travel to Stockholm without ambition.
Key Players to Watch
Viktor Gyökeres (Sweden) — The 27-year-old has been Arsenal’s top scorer and is the single biggest individual threat in the Swedish squad. His movement, physicality, and clinical finishing in front of goal make him arguably the most dangerous striker at the entire World Cup. A strong display against Greece — goals, link-up play, hold-up work — would do more for Sweden’s tournament confidence than any training session.
Alexander Isak (Sweden) — Potter’s challenge is to get Isak to top form, describing him as a world-class player when fully fit. After a difficult season interrupted by injury at Liverpool, Thursday is an opportunity to show that he is ready. The combination of Isak and Gyökeres starting together for Sweden would be genuinely frightening for any World Cup defence.
Vangelis Pavlidis (Greece) — Greece’s most important attacking player. Pavlidis contributed two assists in qualifying and leads the line with intelligence, movement, and an ability to bring others into play. He will be a real problem for Sweden’s centre-backs if Greece can supply him quickly on the counter-attack.
Anastasios Bakasetas (Greece) — The Greece captain operates in an advanced role behind Pavlidis and is Greece’s most creative and experienced player. His ability to find pockets of space between the lines and link play will be crucial to Greece creating anything of substance against Sweden’s midfield.
Key Battles
Victor Lindelöf vs Vangelis Pavlidis — Lindelöf brings Aston Villa experience and composure in possession, but Pavlidis is exactly the type of mobile, physical centre-forward who can make an experienced defender look slow. The aerial battle between the two will be contested at set-pieces and on Greece’s counter-attacks.
Lucas Bergvall vs Anastasios Bakasetas — Two of the most technically gifted players in their respective squads. Tottenham’s Bergvall is one of the most familiar names to Premier League audiences in the Swedish squad and will be tasked with controlling the tempo of Sweden’s midfield. Bakasetas will try to find the same spaces. Whichever player wins this battle will likely determine how the match unfolds.
Konstantinos Tsimikas vs Anthony Elanga — Tsimikas is one of Greece’s most technically capable players going forward but is vulnerable when caught in behind by direct wide players. Elanga’s pace and directness make him the ideal player to exploit that space if Sweden can get him on the ball early in transitions.
Viktor Gyökeres vs Mavropanos & Koulierakis — The central battle of the match. Mavropanos and Koulierakis form a physically powerful partnership that is difficult to bully in the air. But Gyökeres is not just a target man — his movement in behind and ability to receive and turn in tight spaces may be the greater challenge for the Greek centre-backs to manage.
Prediction
- Prediction: Sweden 2–0 Greece
Greece will sit in a disciplined mid-block and look to frustrate Sweden in the same way they frustrated Denmark and Scotland during qualifying. Pavlidis and Tzolis will be a threat on the counter. But Sweden’s attacking quality — particularly if both Gyökeres and Isak are available — is simply too much for a Greek side that were not built to match the technical level at the top of the European game.
Potter will use this match to get game time into his front players and establish the combinations that will be crucial against Tunisia on June 14. Expect a Sweden win, possibly after a nervy opening period in which Greece test the centre-backs. The key question is whether Sweden look like a team building toward something — or whether they look like a team still searching for an identity.
FAQ
Q: What time is Sweden vs Greece kick-off? A: 13:00 BST / 14:00 local time on Thursday, 4 June 2026, at Strawberry Arena, Stockholm, Sweden.
Q: Where is Sweden vs Greece on TV? A: SVT in Sweden carries the broadcast. UK fans should check free-to-air listings or the FIFA+ streaming platform.
Q: What is Sweden’s first World Cup 2026 match? A: Sweden open Group F against Tunisia on June 14, before facing the Netherlands on June 20 and Japan on June 25.
Q: Is Alexander Isak fit for the World Cup? A: Isak has been named in Potter’s 26-man squad, with Potter emphasising the challenge of managing a long-term injury recovery ahead of the tournament opener. His fitness remains the biggest question mark in the Swedish squad.
Q: Who is Sweden’s manager? A: Graham Potter, who took the Sweden job in October 2025 and guided the side through the European play-offs to qualify for the World Cup.
