World Cup 2026: Sweden Capable Of Beating France –Larsson

Sweden legend and assistant coach Sebastian Larsson believes his side can cause an upset against France in the FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 32 in New Jersey on Tuesday. 

Despite entering the knockout fixture as heavy underdogs, the former midfielder is backing manager Graham Potter’s squad to deliver a giant-killing performance against the tournament favourites. 

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He noted that while France is bristling with attacking talent, Sweden has a track record of knocking out higher-ranked nations, which has instilled confidence in the squad.

“I don’t think I need to say much about France. They have ​a couple of guys who are quite skilled,” Larsson said.

“We will have our challenges, but we are looking forward to ​it in a fantastic way.”

“If you look back, we’ve managed to knock out bigger teams before, even if it’s France this time. It gives me a certain amount of belief in things, definitely in me and hopefully in the players too.

“I hope they don’t look ‌forward to meeting us. But if they do, that’s just how it ​is. I think there is a respect for us … we ‌still have players who can deliver very good things. For us it’s about getting everything right, because that will be required.

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“It’ll ⁠be something to get our ⁠teeth into, but we’re very ‌much looking forward to the match,” Larsson added.

Larsson, who scored the second goal in a 2-0 win over France at Euro 2012, won 133 caps for ⁠Sweden and is one ​of few survivors from the reign of Danish head coach Jon Dahl Tomasson, who was sacked last October after taking one point from their first four World Cup qualifiers.