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Who: France vs Sweden
Content: 2026 FIFA World Cup – Round 32
Location: New Jersey Stadium, East Rutherford, New York, USA
Date and time: Tuesday, June 30th, 5pm (21:00 GMT)
How to follow: Get everything ready on Al Jazeera Sports from 18:00 GMT before the live text commentary stream.
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Unbeaten France will advance to the knockout stages on Tuesday when they face Sweden in the All-European round of 32.
France, favorites to win the North American title, were unstoppable in the group stage thanks to the dynamic forward duo of Kylian Mbappé and Ousmane Dembele.
Sweden’s path to the playoffs was less convincing. They finished as one of the top eight third-place teams.
Al Jazeera reported before the defeat:
How did France reach the last 32 of the World Cup?
France were one of only three teams, along with co-hosts Mexico and reigning champions Argentina, to maintain a 100 percent record in the group stage. Les Bleus won all group games in a major competition for the first time since the 1998 World Cup, when they won the trophy at home.
In Group I, France defeated Senegal 3-1 in the first leg and Iraq 3-0 in the second leg to take the lead. The French side finished the group stage by defeating Norway 4-1.
Of France’s 10 goals in three games, the majestic Mbappe and the dazzling Dembele each scored four, while Bradley Barcola and Desire Douye also scored one each. Bayern Munich’s star midfielder Michael Olise provided three assists.
France warns Sweden has ‘nothing to lose’
France’s brilliant attack makes them the overwhelming favorites to win the match, but coach Didier Deschamps urged his team to be wary of Sweden, who are not under pressure.
“Sweden are not playing to survive. Of course they will do everything to win the game, but they have nothing to lose,” Deschamps told reporters on Monday.
“We need to remain humble, determined and focused. In the group stage, winning the first game gave us more room for mistakes, but now there are no second chances.”
France entered the World Cup as one of the favorites to win the trophy following their 2018 victory and penalty shootout loss to Argentina in the 2022 final. At least after a shaky first half in their first match against Senegal, they had an impressive performance in the group stage.
How did Sweden make it to the last 32 of the World Cup?
Sweden advanced as one of the top eight teams in third place, finishing in Group F with four points behind the Netherlands and Japan. Sweden returned to the World Cup after missing the 2022 tournament and started the tournament by defeating Tunisia 5-1.
However, their activities thereafter stagnated. Five days later, they were defeated 5-1 by the Netherlands, and in the final match on June 25, they drew 1-1 with Japan.
Of Sweden’s seven goals, Anthony Elanga and Yasin Ayari each scored two goals, while Alexander Isak, Viktor Gökeres and Mattias Svanberg each scored one goal. Isak also had three assists, and Gokeres had two.
‘We have to get close to perfection’: Sweden coach Potter
Graham Potter’s young side face perhaps their toughest test yet. The Englishman, who pulled off a miracle to help them qualify for the tournament, said Sweden needed to produce a once-in-a-lifetime performance to defeat World Cup powerhouse France.
“We have to get as close to perfection as possible,” Potter said. “We know the quality of our opponent and we fully respect that.”
Sweden’s hopes rest on a young team with little World Cup experience, led by veteran defender Victor Lindelof.
“For many of us, this is our first tournament and it’s been a long journey to get here,” Lindelof said. “This is our World Cup adventure on which lives depend and we don’t want it to end.”
France vs Sweden prediction
Opta’s supercomputer has calculated that France have a 75.1% chance of winning the match in regulation time, while Sweden’s chance of victory is rated at just 9.5%.
The probability of going to overtime or penalties is 15.4%.
Overall, France are firmly established as favorites to win the 2026 World Cup, with a probability of 22.85%.
Who will the winner face in the round of 16?
The winner of France vs. Sweden will face Paraguay in the Round of 16 after defeating Germany in a thrilling penalty shootout in the Round of 32.
France vs Sweden: kick-off time, TV channels
France: beIN SPORTS 1 (11pm CET) Sweden: TV4, TV4 Play (11pm CET) UK: ITVX, ITV1, STV Player, STV (10pm BST) US: FOX, FOX One, Telemundo App, Telemundo Network, Peacock, (5pm EDT)
To see the TV listings for your country, visit the FIFA TV listings schedule here.
France vs Sweden: head-to-head
Tuesday’s match will be the 24th meeting in all competitions between the two countries. In terms of historical win-loss records between the two countries, France has 12 wins to Sweden’s six. Five matches ended in draws.
This will be the third time the two sides have met in a major tournament, but the first time in a World Cup. Sweden won 2-0 in their last encounter, and 20 years earlier, in the 1992 European Championship, they ended in a 1-1 draw.
France vs Sweden: Team news
N’Golo Kante (physical discomfort) is doubtful, while Marcus Thuram (calf injury) is absent from the France squad.
William Saliba is expected to return as centre-back after missing the match against Norway due to a back injury.
Sweden is absent from the squad due to Isak Hien (hamstring injury).
France’s expected lineup
(4-2-3-1): Menyan (goalkeeper). Kunde, Upamecano, Saliba, Digne. Kone, Choa Meni. Dembélé, Olise, Due. mbappe
Sweden’s expected lineup
(3-4-2-1): Nordfeldt (goalkeeper). Lagerbierke, Lindelof, Gutmundsson. Bernhardsson, Karlström, Ayari, Stroud. Eranga, Isaac. Gokeres
