Yasin Ayari is set to make his World Cup debut for Sweden on Sunday against Tunisia, a match that carries an extra layer of meaning because his father was born there. For the Brighton & Hove Albion midfielder, it is not just Sweden’s opening Group F game. It is the first time he will step onto the tournament stage with a family link sitting on the other side.
The 22-year-old has spent his entire international climb with Sweden, from under-17 level to the senior team, and he said the choice was straightforward. He was born in Sweden, came through the youth sides there and never had to turn the decision into a drama. His parents are from Tunisia and Morocco, and he said he spent a lot of time in both countries on holidays when he was younger, but his answer still came back to the same place.
“It was kind of easy for me, because I was born in Sweden and came through the national teams when I was younger, so it was a simple decision,” Ayari said. He added that his father told him: “You decide what you want to do.” That blunt advice fits the way he has handled the family pull. He has strong ties to Tunisia and Morocco, but he has never framed his Sweden choice as a compromise.
There is a footballing thread in the family as well. Ayari’s father moved to Sweden to chase a career as a winger and No 10, later coaching his son in a local team. Ayari was spotted at eight by Stockholm’s AIK, while his mother works behind the scenes there and his younger brother, Taha, is now a winger at the club. The family links are close, but the international choice was settled early and, by his own account, without fuss.
That calm does not make the opener any less loaded. Sweden’s first match comes against Tunisia, and the result will carry the kind of attention that comes with a tournament start for both sides. Ayari said Morocco are doing very well and Tunisia are always fighting to reach the World Cup, but he also pointed to the next step for Tunisia: a new generation of players based in Europe. That is part of why this fixture feels sharper than a normal first game.
Ayari’s best moment for Sweden so far came in March, when the team beat Poland 3-2 in the UEFA play-off final on home soil to book its place at the World Cup. He assisted Anthony Elanga’s opening goal and Viktor Gyokeres scored the 88th-minute winner in front of 50,000 to 60,000 fans. Asked about that night, Ayari said it was “Joy. Just joy,” adding that hearing the stadium roar and sharing the moment with family, friends and team-mates was something extra. That was the moment Sweden earned this stage; Sunday is the moment it finally uses it.
Graham Potter’s arrival as Sweden coach in October has changed the mood around the team. Ayari said he first asked how Potter was as a coach, but was told he was a good person before anything else. He said he felt that calm directly at his first camp under Potter, who arrived when qualification was still uncertain and the group needed belief. Since then, Ayari has started regularly, giving Sweden another layer in midfield as it opens Group F. The unresolved question now is not whether he belongs on the stage. It is how much of it Sweden will ask him to carry against Tunisia.
Sweden and Tunisia meet on Sunday at 10pm ET, with the match scheduled for Monday at 3am BST.
