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Swedish footballer Viktor Gyokeres expressed pleasure over his team making it to the FIFA World Cup 2026 and also reflected on his dramatic 88th-minute match-winning goal to secure a 3-2 victory for Sweden over Poland in the World Cup qualification playoff final earlier this year.
Sweden recovered from a poor UEFA qualifying campaign to secure a place at the showpiece event. They finished bottom of Group B in the European qualifiers without a win but still reached the play-offs through their UEFA Nations League ranking, according to the FIFA website. Under manager Graham Potter, Sweden beat Ukraine 3-1 in the semi-finals, with Viktor Gyokeres scoring a hat-trick. In a tense final, Gyokeres struck again, netting an 88th-minute winner as Sweden edged Poland 3-2 to qualify for the World Cup. Sweden will feature in their 13th FIFA World Cup, aiming to equal their best-ever result on American soil -- a remarkable third-place finish at USA 1994. After missing out on qualification for Qatar 2022, Graham Potter will be hoping to build on Sweden's recent momentum as they return to football's biggest stage. Ahead of the FIFA World Cup, which is going to be played from June 12 (as per the Indian Standard Time) in the US, Mexico and Canada, Gyokeres said he felt proud and overwhelmed after scoring the winning goal against Poland, expressing happiness for himself and the team for qualifying for the World Cup. "I feel incredible, (I feel) proud. It's a lot of emotions to take in. I'm grateful and I'm really pleased for myself and for the team that we finally made it to the World Cup. It's one of the most important goals I've ever scored in my career, if not the most important," he said as quoted by the FIFA website. Gyokeres said the match brought a mix of emotions and was overwhelming, but he valued playing in such high-pressure games. He added that helping Sweden win and secure qualification was an incredible experience and a big confidence boost for both him and the team. "It was a mix of everything, all kinds of emotions and it was, of course, a lot to take in. But I think it's great to have those kind of games in your career, and to be able to be in the position to play those is amazing. To then do it out on the pitch and to win the game is incredible. To help the team the way I did now in these two games is a boost for me and for the team," he said. Sweden's FIFA World Cup 2026 group stage schedule begins on June 15 against Tunisia at Monterrey Stadium in Guadalupe, Mexico. They will then face the Netherlands on June 20 at Houston Stadium in Texas, US, before concluding their group campaign against Japan on June 26 at Dallas Stadium in Arlington, US. (ANI)
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