Sweden and Tunisia open their 2026 World Cup campaigns on Sunday at Estadio BBVA in Mexico, and the stakes are immediate. A strong start could shape the rest of the group, with even a third-placed finish potentially enough to reach the knockout phase.
That is why Sweden Vs Tunisia is drawing attention now: this is not just a first match, it is a test of whether Sweden can turn a more dangerous attack into points before the group tightens. Graham Potter’s side reached the tournament through the UEFA playoffs, beating Ukraine and Poland without Alexander Isak, and Viktor Gyökeres was used heavily in those wins. Sweden’s frontline now carries more threat with Isak and Gyökeres together, but the team has also looked uneven, losing to Norway and drawing with Greece in warm-up games.
Anthony Elanga is one of the players most affected by Potter’s system. The 3-5-2 formation leaves no natural place for him, and that matters because Elanga endured a dismal debut season at St James’ Park after his big-money transfer last summer. Sweden’s attacking depth is real, but the opening match will show whether Potter can fit that talent into a shape that works when the pressure is highest.
Tunisia are likely to make the game cramped and difficult, which is consistent with Sabri Lamouchi’s preference for organization over offensive freedom. They arrive off a strong qualification campaign and will try to turn this into a slow, defensive contest rather than an open exchange. Sweden may have the sharper attack, but Tunisia have already shown they can be disciplined and uncomfortable opponents, and they have never made the knockout phase, which gives this opener extra weight for them as well.
For Sweden, the next matches against Japan and the Netherlands make the first result even more important. If Potter’s team cannot convert its attacking edge on Sunday, the margin for error later in the group narrows quickly. If it does, the path into the knockout phase looks far more manageable; if it does not, the inconsistency that has trailed Sweden into the tournament could prove costly before the group has even settled.
