France vs Sweden: Match details
France vs Sweden will kick-off on 30 June 2026 at 21:00 GMT and 17:00 EST.
Getty ImagesHeavyweight favourites meet unstable underdogs in knockout phase
Two-time winners France kick off their knockout stage campaign at the iconic New York New Jersey Stadium looking to replicate their deep tournament runs of recent cycles. Didier Deschamps, who has confirmed he will step down at the end of this tournament, leads a flawless French side that swept through the group phase with ease.
They face a Sweden side under Graham Potter that squeaked into the Round of 32 as one of the best third-ranked teams. While France holds a dominant historical upper hand, the single-elimination nature of the knockouts means the Swedes will look to disrupt the script.
How Les Bleus and Blågult got here
France swept aside all comers in Group I, dispatching Senegal, Iraq, and Norway with minimal fuss. Their group campaign culminated in a comprehensive 4-1 victory over Norway, locking in a perfect nine-point haul with 10 goals scored and only two conceded. Ousmane Dembélé's brilliant hat-trick in their final group match emphasised that France possesses terrifying offensive depth beyond talisman Kylian Mbappé.
Sweden's path has been significantly more turbulent. They scraped through the group phase with four points, bouncing back from a heavy 5-1 defeat against the Netherlands by defeating Tunisia and holding Japan to a 1-1 draw in their final match. Potter's men finished the group stage having scored seven and conceded seven, leaving serious questions hanging over their defensive capabilities ahead of facing a rampant French frontline.
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Central defensive issues loom large for both managers
Personnel choices at the back are likely to dictate the dynamic of this tie. France centre-back William Saliba was rested against Norway due to an ongoing back issue, but the Arsenal defender is expected to play through the pain to secure his starting role.
Sweden has much bigger structural dilemmas. Centre-back Isak Hien is sidelined with an injury, forcing Potter to reshuffle his backline. Victor Lindelof is expected to drop back from midfield into central defence to cover the gap, while Tottenham's teenage sensation Lucas Bergvall is line to take his place in the midfield engine room.
Overloads vs rapid transition pace to decide terms
France's tactical blueprint leans on their staggering individual quality and attacking variety. Deschamps prefers a highly disciplined double pivot of Aurélien Tchouaméni and Adrien Rabiot to control the tempo, allowing advanced playmakers like Michael Olise and Désiré Doué to overload the half-spaces and create isolation opportunities for Mbappé on the flank.
Sweden's primary weapon to combat this will be direct, vertical transitions. Anthony Elanga, fresh off a long-range strike against Japan, provides immense pace alongside Alexander Isak and Viktor Gyökeres to push back France's high defensive line during counter-attacks.
Getty ImagesSettled structures face ultimate examination
France will aim to re-establish their starting backline to shield Mike Maignan, knowing that lapses in possession tracking have occasionally left them looking passive without the ball.
Sweden, conversely, faces the daunting task of keeping a clean sheet with an altered defensive configuration. Oliver Zetterström will need to command his penalty area flawlessly, relying on tight tracking from full-backs to prevent Dembélé and Olise from carving open lanes into the box.
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Likely France XI vs Sweden
Maignan; Koundé, Upamecano, Saliba, Hernández; Tchouaméni, Rabiot, Olise, Dembélé, Doué; Mbappé
Likely Sweden XI vs France
Zetterström; Lagerbielke, Lindelöf, Gudmundsson; Bernhardsson, Bergvall, Ayari, Stroud; Elanga, Gyökeres, Isak
France's 26-man squad
Goalkeepers: Mike Maignan, Robin Risser, Brice Samba
Defenders: Lucas Digne, Malo Gusto, Lucas Hernandez, Theo Hernandez, Ibrahima Konate, Jules Kounde, Maxence Lacroix, William Saliba, Dayot Upamecano
Midfielders: N'Golo Kante, Manu Kone, Adrien Rabiot, Aurelien Tchouameni, Warren Zaire-Emery
Forwards: Maghnes Akliouche, Bradley Barcola, Rayan Cherki, Ousmane Dembele, Desire Doue, Jean-Philippe Mateta, Kylian Mbappe, Michael Olise, Marcus Thuram
Sweden's 26-man squad
Goalkeepers: Viktor Johansson, Gustaf Lagerbielke, Kristoffer Nordfeldt, Jacob Zetterstrom
Defenders: Hjalmar Ekdal, Gabriel Gudmundsson, Isak Hien, Victor Lindelof, Eric Smith, Carl Starfelt, Daniel Svensson
Midfielders: Yasin Ayari, Lucas Bergvall, Jesper Karlstrom, Benjamin Nygren, Ken Sema, Elliot Stroud, Mattias Svanberg, Besfort Zeneli
Forwards: Taha Ali, Alexander Bernhardsson, Anthony Elanga, Viktor Gyokeres, Alexander Isak, Gustaf Nilsson
Team news & squads
France vs Sweden Probable lineups
Manager
- D. Deschamps
Injuries and Suspensions
Didier Deschamps has no reported injuries or suspensions heading into the match, and no confirmed probable lineup has been released. Updates will be added closer to kick-off as the squad picture becomes clearer.
For Sweden, Graham Potter is without defender Isak Hien, who is listed as injured. No suspensions have been reported, and no probable lineup has been confirmed at this stage. Further team news will be added as it becomes available.
Injuries and Suspended players
Injuries and Suspensions
- No sidelined players
Injuries and Suspensions
Form
FRA-Form
FRA- Goal Scored (Conceded)
- 14/5
- Games over 2.5 goals
- 5/5
- Both teams scored
- 4/5
SWE-Form
SWE- Goal Scored (Conceded)
- 10/12
- Games over 2.5 goals
- 4/5
- Both teams scored
- 5/5
France arrive in outstanding form, winning four of their last five matches and losing only one. That defeat came in a pre-tournament friendly against Ivory Coast, and Deschamps' side have not lost since. In World Cup group play, they beat Senegal 3-1, Iraq 3-0, and Norway 4-1, scoring ten goals across those three games and conceding just two. The Norway win, secured with a Dembele hat-trick, was the most emphatic of the three.
Sweden's recent record is more mixed across their last five games. They claimed one win, drew twice, and lost twice, with their results showing a wide range of performances. Their 5-1 win over Tunisia was convincing, but a 5-1 loss to the Netherlands in the same group stage highlighted the gap between Sweden and the tournament's elite. A 1-1 draw with Japan in their final group game was enough to see them through as one of the best third-placed sides. Across their last five matches, Sweden have scored ten goals and conceded ten.
Head-to-Head Record
FRALast 5 matches
SWE4
Wins
0
Draws
1
Win
Goals scored
5- Games over 2.5 goals
- 3/5
- Both teams scored
- 3/5
The most recent meeting between these two sides came in November 2020, when France won 4-2 at home in the UEFA Nations League A. Sweden won the reverse fixture earlier that same year, beating France 1-0 in Stockholm. Across the last five meetings, France hold the stronger record, winning three times to Sweden's one, with one further French victory in a 2014 friendly. The sides also met twice in World Cup qualification in 2016 and 2017, with each team winning on home soil.
Standings
France finished top of Group I, while Sweden advanced from Group F in third place.