Sweden made a flying start to their 2026 FIFA World Cup campaign, producing a dominant 5-1 victory over Tunisia in Guadalupe to extend their unbeaten run in World Cup opening matches to five games.
Graham Potter’s side arrived at the tournament through the play-offs after a difficult qualifying campaign, but they showed their quality and determination with a commanding display that underlined their credentials in Group F.
The Blågult wasted no time making their mark, racing into a two-goal lead inside the opening 30 minutes.
Their breakthrough came after Tunisia goalkeeper Mouhib Chamakh misjudged Victor Lindelöf’s long ball forward, allowing Viktor Gyökeres to threaten.
Although the Arsenal striker’s effort was blocked, Yasin Ayari reacted quickest, calmly firing into an empty net from 25 yards to give Sweden the lead.
Buoyed by the opener, Sweden continued to attack with confidence and doubled their advantage before the half-hour mark.
Gyökeres turned provider with an intelligent lay-off that released Alexander Isak, and the Liverpool forward showed his class by calmly finishing beyond Chamakh after a devastating counterattack.
Tunisia refused to collapse despite the difficult start and pulled one back before half-time.
Hannibal Mejbri delivered an excellent floated cross into the box, allowing Omar Rekik to escape his marker and power a header past the Swedish defence to give the Eagles of Carthage renewed hope heading into the break.
However, any thoughts of a Tunisia comeback quickly disappeared after the restart as Sweden regained control of the contest.
The decisive third goal arrived on the hour mark following a costly mistake from Tunisia captain Ellyes Skhiri. Pressed into losing possession by Isak, Skhiri allowed the Swedish forward to take advantage, with Isak then unselfishly setting up Gyökeres to fire home from close range.
The goal continued an incredible run for the Arsenal striker, who has now scored 15 times in his last 16 international appearances.
Tunisia showed flashes of attacking quality in the final stages, with Mejbri continuing to create problems for the Swedish defence, but Sweden’s superior quality proved too much as they added two more goals late on.
Mattias Svanberg then scored an instant-impact goal in the 83rd minute just 18 seconds after coming off the bench to increase the margin, before Ayari completed a memorable individual performance by scoring his second of the night, unleashing a powerful strike from outside the area to seal a 5-1 triumph.
The emphatic victory gives Sweden valuable momentum and confidence ahead of a major Group F test against the Netherlands, who began their campaign with a thrilling 2-2 draw against Japan.
For Tunisia, the defeat extends a disappointing World Cup trend, with the Eagles of Carthage failing to win their opening match at the tournament since their historic victory over Mexico in 1978.
With their route to the knockout stages now significantly difficult, the North African side will look to respond against Japan on Sunday at 7 am, while Sweden will carry their impressive form into their clash with the Netherlands on Saturday at 8 pm.
