Sweden

Out of all the Nordic countries, Sweden remains the closest thing to a football powerhouse. They’ve participated in more than ten World Cups, with their best finish being second place on home turf in the 1958 edition of the tournament. They also have three other top four finishes in three separate decades, along with claiming the Olympic Gold in 1948 and reaching the semi-finals of the Euro 1992. Due to their flag, they play in recognizable blue-and-yellow kits..

History

The World Cup craze

The Sweden national team played its first official match in 1908, defeating Norway 11-3. The same year, they participated at the 1908 Summer Olympics, where they lost to the Great Britain 1-12 in the first round. To this day, this remains the biggest loss in the team’s history. They played in three other Olympic football tournaments during the following two decades, claiming their first bronze medal in 1924.

In 1934, Sweden participated in its first World Cup. In the first round, they eliminated Argentina after coming back from a 1-2 deficit late in the game. The quarter-finals saw them take on Germany, losing the match 1-2. Four years later, they went a step further after getting a bye against Austria in the first round and defeating Cuba 8-0 in the quarter-finals. They went on to lose 1-5 to Hungary and 2-4 to Brazil, claiming fourth place.

Post-WWII success

Following WWII, Sweden took part in the 1948 Olympics, where they presented themselves in a great light. The first two rounds provided little trouble, as they easily dismantled Austria (who didn’t bring their professional players) and Korea. In the semi-finals, they beat their arch-rivals Denmark 4-2. The final match saw them defeat Yugoslavia 3-1 and claim their first championship win at an international tournament.

Though these early results were promising, the Swedish football association inexplicably excluded the professional players from the 1950 World Cup. This led to Sweden playing with amateur teams throughout the tournament, despite being one of the best European teams of that era. However, even this weakened squad managed to defeat Italy 3-2 and draw 2-2 with Paraguay, placing first in their group and qualifying for the next round.

The second stage of the tournament consisted of a final group of four teams: Sweden, Brazil, Uruguay, and Spain. Sweden’s title hopes immediately took a heavy hit after a 1-7 loss to Brazil. In the next game, a 2-3 loss to Uruguay left them unable to play for gold. Still, they did manage to defeat Spain 3-1 in the final round, claiming the bronze medal and being recognized as the best European team at the tournament.

The runners-up

By 1956, the association allowed professional players to suit up for the national team again. Since Sweden was also the host nation of the 1958 World Cup, most pundits started to peg them as one of the dark horses of that tournament. The first round went swimmingly, as they clinched first place after defeating Mexico 3-0 and former finalists Hungary 2-1. They rested some of their best players for the final round against Wales, drawing 0-0.

In the knockout stage, Sweden beat the USSR 2-0 before facing off against West Germany. In front of 50,000 home fans, they put in their best performance of the tournament, overturning a 0-1 deficit and claiming a 3-1 victory. In the finals, however, the Pelé-led Brazil proved to be too strong of an opponent. Despite Sweden jumping into an early lead, Brazil dominated throughout the game and eventually won 5-2.

A period of decline

The 1958 World Cup appearance turned out to be Sweden’s last foray to the top of world football for several decades. The ‘60s were a particularly dry period, as they failed to appear in any major tournaments. They came close to qualifying for the 1964 Euro, but couldn’t beat the Soviet Union in the deciding match. Their only major success was to qualify for the 1970 World Cup, where they were eliminated in the group stage.

At the 1974 World Cup, they managed to advance from their group with two draws and a 3-0 victory against Uruguay in the final round. In the second group stage, two defeats to Poland and hosts West Germany saw them eliminated from medal contention. Still, a 2-1 victory against Yugoslavia meant that they finished the tournament in fifth place.

In 1978, Sweden appeared at their third consecutive World Cup. Though they salvaged a 1-1 draw against Brazil in their opener, they went on to lose 0-1 to both Austria and Spain, finishing last in their group. They failed to qualify for the next two World Cups but came back for the 1990 edition. This turned into their worst appearance in the competition to date, as they failed to score any points for the first time in their World Cup history.

Blast from the past

In 1992, Sweden started getting back on the right track by taking part in its first European Championship. As a host nation, Sweden placed first in its group by drawing 1-1 with France and defeating England and eventual champions Denmark. They were unable to get past Germany in the semi-finals, despite putting in a commendable effort.

Two years later, the Swedish national team traveled to the United States for its ninth World Cup. The expectations were relatively low, especially once they barely escaped being defeated by Cameroon in the opener thanks to a late equalizer by Martin Dahlin. Still, a 3-1 victory against Russia and a respectable 1-1 draw with Brazil saw them clinch second place in their group. In the round of 16, they defeated Saudi Arabia 3-1.

The quarter-finals saw Sweden face off against Romania in a match filled with drama. Despite Sweden holding a 1-0 lead, Romania managed to equalize in the dying moments of the game and take the lead in overtime. However, Sweden forced an equalizer of their own via Kennet Anderson’s header and won the game on penalties. Though they went on to lose to Brazil in the semi-finals, a 4-0 drubbing of Bulgaria was enough for another third-place finish.

Later history

The next time Sweden made waves at a major tournament was the 2002 World Cup. With a tough group consisting of Argentina, England, and Nigeria, Sweden took first place with one win and two draws. In the round of 16, they came into an early lead against Senegal, but the game went into extra time. Despite rising star Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s eye-catching efforts, Senegal ran away with the game by scoring a golden goal via Henry Kamara.

Following a quarter-finals Euro appearance in 2004, Sweden returned to the World Cup in 2006. The tournament opener against Trinidad and Tobago didn’t provide much cause for optimism, as Sweden was held to a 0-0 draw despite having a one-man advantage for most of the game. Still, a 1-0 victory against Paraguay and a 2-2 draw with England saw them place second in their group. In the round of 16, they went out to Germany.

After failing to qualify for the following two World Cups, Sweden returned in 2018. They went on to top a group containing reigning champions Germany, Mexico, and South Korea. This time around, they survived their round of 16 matchup by beating Switzerland despite a lackluster performance. Their run ended in the quarter-finals, where they lost 0-2 to England.

FIFA World Cup results

Sweden has participated twelve times in the World Cup (FIFA World Cup qualification not included).

Table 1. Sweden's performances in the World Cup

Year	Result
2022	Not qualified
2018	Quarter-finals
2014	Not qualified
2010	Not qualified
2006	Round of 16
2002	Round of 16
1998	Not qualified
1994	3rd place
1990	Group Stage
1986	Not qualified
1982	Not qualified
1978	Group Stage
1974	Group Stage
1970	Group Stage
1966	Not qualified
1962	Not qualified
1958	Runners-up
1954	Not qualified
1950	3rd place
1938	4th place
1934	Quarter-finals
1930	Decline to participate

UEFA European Championship results

Sweden have participated nine times in the European Championship (Euro).

Table 2. Sweden's performances in the European Championship

Year	Result	Notes
2024	Not qualified
2020	Round of 16
2016	Group Stage
2012	Group Stage
2008	Group Stage
2004	Quarter-finals
2000	Group Stage
1996	Not qualified
1992	Semi-finals
1988	Not qualified
1984	Not qualified
1980	Not qualified
1976	Not qualified
1972	Not qualified
1968	Not qualified
1964	Not qualified
1960	Decline to participate

By Martin Wahl

References:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sweden_national_football_team
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sweden_at_the_FIFA_World_Cup
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sweden_at_the_UEFA_European_Championship