Star-studded Sweden in crisis in World Cup qualifying and coach Tomasson feels heat

By Canadian Press on October 14, 2025.

Alexander Isak called it a “crisis situation.” Viktor Gyökeres summed it up as a “fiasco.”

Swedish soccer is reeling after a third straight loss in World Cup qualifying for its star-studded men’s national team — and the coach’s future appears to be hanging in the balance.

Jon Dahl Tomasson, a Dane hired last year as Sweden’s first foreign-born coach, vowed on Monday to fight for his job after a humiliating 1-0 home loss to Kosovo in Gothenburg that left the Swedes in last place in their World Cup qualifying group with one point from four games.

Asked if he had reached a point where he couldn’t take the team any further, Tomasson told Swedish broadcaster Viaplay: “No. I have a contract with the SVFF (Swedish Football Association) and we are in the middle of the campaign. But of course, it’s not good enough. It’s a terrible result.”

Swedish daily Expressen reported that the federation was holding an extraordinary meeting on Tuesday where, among other things, Tomasson’s future will be discussed.

After the loss to Kosovo, Kim Källström — the former Sweden midfielder who is the federation football director — said, “We need to see where we stand and which path we are going to take.” He didn’t give a timeframe for any potential decision about Tomasson.

Sweden finished the game with Isak and Gyökeres — the starting strikers for Liverpool and Arsenal, respectively, after transfers for a combined $250 million this summer — up front, Anthony Elanga of Newcastle on the left wing and Roony Bardghji of Barcelona on the right wing.

Other big-name players in Sweden’s team against Kosovo were center midfielder Lucas Bergvall of Tottenham and Victor Lindelof, who used to play for Manchester United and was now at Aston Villa.

Despite the cast of star attackers in the team, Tomasson said: “We’ve totally forgotten how to score goals, and I don’t know why.”

Tomasson, a former Denmark striker who scored 52 goals for his country and won the Champions League with AC Milan, has been widely criticized for failing to establish a clear attacking identity with the players at his disposal during the 18 games he has been in charge since becoming Sweden coach in February 2024.

Isak said the team “hasn’t moved forward.”

“It’s a bit of a crisis situation,” the Liverpool player said in post-match comments reported by Expressen. “I don’t know what we’re going to do. It’s too bad. There has been a negative development this spring and since the World Cup qualifiers started.”

Gyökeres told Viaplay: “It’s clear it’s a fiasco.”

Sweden is unlikely to secure a place in the World Cup playoffs by finishing in second place in a group headed by Switzerland. The team is, however, set to get in the playoffs by virtue of winning its Nations League group last year — albeit after dropping into the third of four tiers in European soccer.

Getting in by that route would likely mean a harder path in the playoffs, however.

“Of course we wanted the second spot — it would be a better solution, a better chance, you probably also get a home game (in the playoffs),” Tomasson said. “Now, it can be difficult.”

Asked after the Kosovo game how he would sleep, Tomasson said: “I will not sleep.”

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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

Steve Douglas, The Associated Press