Sweden v Tunisia prediction, lineups & tips: World Cup 2026 Group F opener

Viktor Gyökeres and Alexander Isak step onto a World Cup pitch together for the first time on Monday morning as Sweden open their FIFA World Cup 2026 Group F campaign against Tunisia at the Estadio BBVA in Monterrey. For Graham Potter, the occasion is the payoff for one of the more remarkable rescue missions in recent international football, Sweden became the first team in history to reach a World Cup after finishing bottom of their qualifying group, scraping through via the UEFA play-offs courtesy of Gyökeres's four goals across two matches against Ukraine and Poland.

Potter, who built his reputation guiding Östersund from the Swedish fourth tier to European football before stints at Brighton, Chelsea and West Ham, took charge in October 2025 with Sweden in disarray. He guided them to qualification within five months. Speaking to FIFA ahead of the tournament, the Englishman said his squad are "far from perfect, but in some ways that's what it means to be a team, what it means to represent Sweden", and that the collective want to "represent our country in the best way, show who we are collectively and as individuals, and ultimately enjoy it."

Dejan Kulusevski is the notable absentee from the squad, still sidelined following knee surgery that has been further hampered by setbacks. Otherwise Potter can call on one of the most menacing forward lines at the tournament, with Gyökeres's raw power complemented by Isak's movement across the front line. The two have rarely played together for Sweden, with Isak missing the March play-offs through injury, and Sweden's Group F assignment, Netherlands and Japan follow Tunisia, is demanding enough to leave Potter little margin for error from the first whistle.

Tunisia arrive in a different kind of trouble. Manager Sabri Lamouchi, who replaced Sami Trabelsi following a last-16 exit to Mali at the Africa Cup of Nations, has managed only two competitive games with the squad. More damaging than the lack of time together is the pre-tournament form: Tunisia lost 1-0 to Austria on 1 June and were then beaten 5-0 by Belgium on 6 June. They have failed to score in three consecutive games and netted just once in their last four outings.

It is a jarring contrast to the qualification campaign, in which Trabelsi's side won nine of ten matches in CAF Group H without conceding a single goal, a record that had never been achieved across a full World Cup qualifying campaign. That defensive solidity now belongs to a different coaching regime. Lamouchi will hope his players can rediscover the discipline that got them here, but the warm-up results offer little confidence.

Graham Potter told reporters in a pre-tournament interview that he sees Gyökeres and Isak as "different in their styles, which is good for us", pointing to Gyökeres's ability to attack the last line while Isak offers movement wider and deeper. With Tunisia already conceding five to Belgium, the prospect of both forwards firing in the same game for the first time will concern Lamouchi considerably.

Potter has favoured a flexible 3-4-2-1 system in his short tenure, though the two forwards will likely operate in tandem from the start. Lamouchi used a flat back four against Belgium but could shift to a more defensive structure in Monterrey.

Sweden: Nordfeldt; Johansson, Lindelof, Starfelt, Gudmundsson; Elanga, Ayari, Karlstrom, Sema; Isak, Gyokeres

Tunisia: Dahmen; Abdi, Talbi, Bronn, Valery; Skhiri, Belhadj Mahmoud; Achouri, Khedira, Ben Slimane; Mastouri

Sweden v Tunisia kicks off at 03:00 BST on Monday 15 June 2026 at the Estadio BBVA in Guadalupe, Monterrey. In the UK, the FIFA World Cup 2026 is broadcast on BBC and ITV, with streams available via BBC iPlayer and ITVX.