The more optimistic fans will point to the last time the World Cup was played in North America, when Sweden finished third at USA '94, losing only to eventual winners Brazil. If Graham Potter's side are to go on a similar run this time, who are they likely to face along the way? In this article, Flashscore takes a look at Sweden's potential opponents in the knockout stages.
Sweden's Group Stage fixtures
What is for sure, is that Sweden will be playing in Group F at the World Cup, playing their opening match in Mexico before two games in Texas.
15th June, 04:00 CEST: Sweden vs Tunisia - Monterrey, Mexico
20th June, 19: CEST: Netherlands vs Sweden - Houston, TX
26th June, 01:00 CEST: Japan vs Sweden - Arlington, TX
Finishing first or second in the group will see Sweden progress to the Round of 32. If Sweden finish third, they must wait to discover if they are among the eight best third-placed teams across the 12 groups that will reach the Round of 32. Finishing bottom of the group, or being among the four worst third-placed teams means elimination for Blagult.
Sweden's potential Round of 32 opponents
If Sweden finish first in Group F, they will face the runner-up in Group C in Monterrey at 03:00 CEST on 30th June. Group C contains Brazil, Morocco, Scotland and Haiti, with 2022 World Cup semi-finalists Morocco widely-tipped to finish as runners-up to the five-time champions, Brazil, but a strong Scotland side and improving Haiti have the potential to cause upsets along the way.
If Sweden finish as runners-up in Group F, they will face the winners of Group C in Houston at 19:00 CEST on 29th June. Brazil are the most likely side to top Group C, but Morocco, ranked just one place below the Brazilians, will provide a worthy challenge to the Brazilians.
If Sweden finish third in Group F and progress, they could find themselves in any one of these five Round of 32 matches, depending on which groups other third-placed teams progress from:
Match 74 - Monday, 29th June, 22:30 CEST: vs Winner of Group E in Boston
Match 77 - Tuesday, 30th June, 23:00 CEST: vs Winner of Group I in New Jersey
Match 79 - Wednesday, 1st July, 03:00 CEST: vs Winner of Group A in Mexico City
Match 81 - Thursday, 2nd July, 02:00 CEST: vs Winner of Group D in San Francisco
Match 85 - Friday, 3rd July, 05:00 CEST: vs Winner of Group B in Vancouver
The top seeds in those five groups are Mexico, Canada, United States, Germany and France. However, Switzerland, Turkey, Norway and Senegal are just some of the teams looking to challenge for supremacy.
The full list of potential opponents is as follows:
Czech Republic, Mexico, South Africa, South Korea (Group A)
Bosnia & Herzegovina, Canada, Qatar, Switzerland (Group B)
Australia, Paraguay, Turkey, United States (Group D)
Curacao, Ecuador, Germany, Ivory Coast (Group E)
France, Iraq, Norway, Senegal (Group I)
Sweden's potential Round of 16 opponents
If Sweden win their group and navigate their Round of 32 clash, they will be returning to Houston for the opening game of the Round of 16 on Saturday, 4th July at 19:00 CEST. There, the Swedes will meet the winner of the fixture between the runners-up in Groups A and B, which consist of the following teams:
Czechia, Mexico, South Africa, South Korea (Group A)
Bosnia & Herzegovina, Canada, Qatar, Switzerland (Group B)
If Sweden finish second in their group and beat the winners of Group C, they'll face the winners of match between the Group E runners-up and Group I runners-up in the Round of 16 on Sunday, 5th July at 22:00 CEST in New Jersey. Those groups consist of the following teams:
Curacao, Ecuador, Germany, Ivory Coast (Group E)
France, Iraq, Norway, Senegal (Group I)
If Sweden finish third in their group and beat the winners of Group A, B, D, E, or I, they will play in one of the following games:
Match 89 - Saturday July 4th, 23:00 CEST: Winner of Match 74 (Group E winners vs Group A/B/C/D/F third place) in Philadelphia
Match 89 - Saturday July 4th, 23:00 CEST: vs Winner of Match 77 (Group I winners vs Group C/D/F/G/H third place) in Philadelphia
(Sweden could qualify for Match 89 having won either Match 74 or Match 77)
Match 92 - Monday July 6th, 02:00 CEST: vs Winner of Match 80 (Group L winners vs Group E/H/I/J/K third place) in Mexico City
Match 94 - Tuesday July 7th, 02:00 CEST: vs Winner of Match 82 (Group G winners vs Group A/E/H/I/J third place in Seattle
Match 96 - Tuesday July 7th, 22:00 CEST: vs Winner of Match 87 (Group K winners vs Group E/F/G/I/J third place) in Vancouver
With the possibility of meeting teams from any of the 12 groups, Sweden could face every single team at the tournament, including their own group opponents, in one of those four matches.
Sweden's potential Quarter-final opponents
If Sweden reach the Quarter-finals having topped their group, they would face the winners of Match 89. That match will involve the winners of Match 74 (Group E winners vs Group A/B/C/D/F third place) and Match 77 (Group I winners vs Group C/D/F/G/H third place). That Quarter-final is scheduled for Thursday, June 9th, at 22.00 CEST in Boston. The following teams could face Potter's side in Match 97:
Czech Republic, Mexico, South Africa, South Korea (Group A)
Bosnia & Herzegovina, Canada, Qatar, Switzerland (Group B)
Brazil, Haiti, Morocco, Scotland (Group C)
Australia, Paraguay, Turkey, United States (Group D)
Japan, Sweden, Tunisia (Group F)
Belgium, Egypt, Iran, New Zealand (Group G)
Cape Verde, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Uruguay (Group H)
If Sweden finish second in their group and progress to the Quarter-finals, they would face the winners of Match 92. That match will involve the winners of Match 79 (Group A winners vs Group C/E/F/H/I third place) and Match 80 (Group L winners vs Group E/H/I/J/K third place). That Quarter-final is scheduled for Saturday, July 11th, at 22.00 CEST in Miami. These are the teams that could meet Blagult in Match 99:
Czech Republic, Mexico, South Africa, South Korea (Group A)
Brazil, Haiti, Morocco, Scotland (Group C)
Curacao, Ecuador, Germany, Ivory Coast (Group E)
Japan, Sweden, Tunisia (Group F)
Cape Verde, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Uruguay (Group H)
France, Iraq, Norway, Senegal (Group I)
Algeria, Argentina, Austria, Jordan (Group J)
Colombia, D.R. Congo, Portugal, Uzbekistan (Group K)
If Sweden finish third in their group and reach the Quarter-finals, they could feature in any of the four matches, depending on which Round of 16 game they featured in. Therefore, all of the other 47 teams are potential opponents. The Quarter-final fixtures are as follows:
Match 97 - Thursday 9th July, 22:00 CEST: vs Winner of Match 90 in Boston
Match 98 - Friday 10th July, 21:00 CEST: vs Winner of Match 93 in Los Angeles
Match 99 - Saturday 11th July, 23:00 CEST: vs Winner of Match 91 in Miami
Match 100 - Sunday 12th July, 03:00 CEST: vs Winner of Match 95 in Kansas City
Semi-finals, Third-place Play-off and Final
If Sweden reach the Semi-finals having won their group, they will play in the first of the two matches:
Match 101 - Tuesday 14th July, 21:00 CEST: vs Winner of Match 98 in Arlington
If Sweden reach the Semi-finals having finished second in their group, they will play in the second of the two last-four encounters;
Match 102 - Wednesday 15th July, 21:00 CEST: vs Winner of Match 100 in Atlanta
If Sweden reach the Semi-finals having finished third in their group, they could feature in either of the matches, depending on which Quarter-final they played in.
The dates and times for the Third-place Play-off and World Cup Final are as follows:
Match 103 - Saturday 18th July, 23:00 CEST: Third-place Play-off in Miami
Match 104 - Sunday 19th July, 21:00 CEST: World Cup Final in New Jersey
