Kulusevski Out: Sweden's World Cup Squad Shocker

Graham Potter, the head coach of Sweden, has revealed a 26-player roster for the upcoming FIFA World Cup 2026. The tournament is scheduled to be co-hosted by the USA, Canada, and Mexico. A significant omission from the squad is Tottenham Hotspur forward Dejan Kulusevski, who has been out of action for over a year due to a persistent knee injury.

Potter described the decision to exclude Kulusevski as "very, very difficult," citing the player's rehabilitation progress with only four and a half weeks remaining until the tournament's first match. While Kulusevski will miss the global event, fellow Swedish compatriot Alexander Isak, who has also faced injury issues since December 2025, is expected to recover and feature for Sweden.

Sweden secured their place in the World Cup finals through the playoffs, defeating Ukraine and Poland after a disappointing qualifying campaign where they finished at the bottom of their group. The full squad includes goalkeepers Kristoffer Nordfeldt, Viktor Johansson, and Jacob Widell Zetterström, defenders Daniel Svensson, Victor Lindelof, Isak Hien, Carl Starfelt, Elliot Stroud, Gustaf Lagerbielke, Gabriel Gudmundsson, Emil Holm, Hjalmar Ekdal, and Erik Smith, and midfielders/forwards Taha Ali, Yasin Ayari, Lucas Bergvall, Anthony Elanga, Viktor Gyokeres, Jesper Karlstrom, Gustaf Nilsson, Benjamin Nygren, Mattias Svanberg, Besfort Zeneli, Alexander Isak, Alexander Bernhardsson, and Ken Sema.