Bergvall named to Sweden World Cup squad, Kulusevski omitted

TL;DR

Lucas Bergvall has been named to Sweden's World Cup squad, while Dejan Kulusevski has been omitted due to ongoing recovery from injury. Sweden will face tough competition in their group, including the Netherlands and Japan.

Key points

Lucas Bergvall named to Sweden's World Cup squad
Dejan Kulusevski omitted due to injury recovery
Sweden's group includes Netherlands, Japan, and Tunisia
World Cup matches start June 14 against Tunisia
Bergvall's selection is a notable achievement for a 20-year-old

Mentioned in this story

MexicoJapanTunisiaNetherlands

SwedenLucas BergvallDejan Kulusevski

Sweden's midfielder #07 Lucas Bergvall celebrates with the fans after winning 3:2 the FIFA World Cup 2026 European qualification final football match between Sweden and Poland in Solna, Sweden, on March 31, 2026. (Photo by Jonathan Nackstrand / AFP via Getty Images) | AFP via Getty Images We’re in the time of the World Cup cycle where national teams start to announce their final squads for the upcoming tournament in USA, Mexico, and Canada. Today, Sweden announced its World Cup squad and there’s good news and bad news — the good news is that Lucas Bergvall was named in Graham Potter’s final World Cup squad (and yes, it still feels weird to type “Graham Potter’s World Cup squad”). The bad news is that Dejan Kulusevski was left out. I’m trying hard not to overreact to this news, but leaving Deki out likely means that he’s still not anywhere close to ready to come back from his shattered patella injury last spring. Deki hasn’t kicked a ball in (now, officially) more than a year since Marc Guehi put his studs through his knee on May 10, 2025 in a match against . So in that sense it’s not a surprise, since Deki hasn’t really earned his place. But it also makes you wonder just how much longer Deki will be out… or if he’ll be able to make a full recovery at all. It’s great for Bergvall, though. While he hasn’t turned into 2.0 in the past year the way I hoped, he’s still young and a useful player to have on the Spurs squad, and I think he’s definitely earned his place for Sweden. I kinda doubt he’ll get off the bench much during the World Cup, but just being named is a pretty significant achievement for a 20-year-old. And hey, maybe he makes The Leap this summer and comes back ready to be a midfield world-beater next season! Sweden have a tough group after being drawn with the Netherlands, , and . They open their World Cup account on June 14 against Tunisia in Guadalupe, Mexico.

Q&A

Why was Dejan Kulusevski left out of Sweden's World Cup squad?

Dejan Kulusevski was omitted from the squad likely due to his ongoing recovery from a shattered patella injury sustained in May 2025.

Who is Lucas Bergvall and why is his selection significant?

Lucas Bergvall is a 20-year-old midfielder who has been named to Sweden's World Cup squad, marking a significant achievement for his young career.

What teams are in Sweden's World Cup group?

Sweden is drawn in a tough group with the Netherlands, Japan, and Tunisia for the upcoming World Cup.