Sweden seized sole control of Group F at the 2026 FIFA World Cup following a commanding 5–1 victory over Tunisia on Sunday evening at the Monterrey Stadium. The emphatic Scandinavian triumph capped off a dramatic opening round of group fixtures, which earlier saw a resilient Japan fight back late to rescue a 2–2 draw against the Netherlands.
The Swedish national team, guided by manager Graham Potter, wasted no time asserting their dominance in Mexico. Midfielder Yasin Ayari opened the scoring in the seventh minute with a stunning long-range strike, followed by a clinical 30th-minute goal from striker Alexander Isak. Tunisia briefly threatened a comeback when Omar Rekik capitalised on a defensive lapse to pull one back just before the halftime whistle.
Sweden completely dismantled the Tunisian defence after the interval. In-form forward Viktor Gyökeres extended the lead to 3–1 in the 59th minute, before Mattias Svanberg added a fourth in the 84th minute. Deep into stoppage time, Ayari capped off his stellar performance by completing his brace to finalise the 5–1 scoreline. The extensive victory leaves Sweden as the early pacemakers of the group.
Earlier in the day, the opening Group F fixture delivered a tactical stalemate filled with late-game heroics. The Netherlands appeared positioned to secure all three points, holding a 2–1 advantage as regulation time ticked away. However, a relentless Japanese side refused to concede defeat, executing an aggressive tactical press in the final minutes.
The Samurai Blue found their breakthrough in the 89th minute when a well-worked attacking sequence yielded a dramatic equaliser to stun the Dutch side. The 2–2 draw left both nations sharing a point apiece, directly paving the way for Sweden to pull ahead in the standings.
With the first round of fixtures concluded, Sweden sits comfortably in first place with three points and a plus-four goal difference. Japan and the Netherlands follow closely behind with one point each, while Tunisia sits at the bottom of the table ahead of the next round of matches.