Sweden at the World Cup
Sweden's 12th participation at the World Cup was in Russia 2018. Previous appearances were in 1934, 1938, 1950, 1958, 1970, 1974, 1978, 1990, 1994, 2002. They failed to make the World Cup finals in 2010, 2014 and 2022.
Sweden claimed fourth place in the 1938 FIFA World Cup. Twenty years later in 1958, the Swedes had their best performance, finishing runners-up. They reached the final on home soil after dismissing the defending champions Germany in the semi-final, however, their opponents in the final proved superior as Brazil defeated the Scandinavian home side 5-2.
2018 World Cup Sweden taking a penalty shotAfter their success in 1958, Sweden failed to qualify for the next two tournaments. In 1970 their campaign ended in the first round, in 1974 they went one round further. In 1978 they returned home without a win.
In 2018, Sweden were back in the tournament after a 16 year break. On the way through qualifying, they knocked out Italy and Netherlands.
Trivia
- The first qualifying match in World Cup history was played between Sweden and Estonia (score 6:2) on 11 June 1933.
- Swedish football re-ignited in the 1990s, culminating in third place in the 1994 FIFA World Cup.
Related Pages
- About the women's team from Sweden at the FIFA Women's World Cup
- List of all countries who have participated in the World Cup
- FIFA World Cup Home
- About Sport in Sweden
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