Sweden's Gyökeres: 'We know we have an extremely good team' after World Cup rout

Sweden kicked off their 2026 World Cup campaign with a resounding 5-1 victory against Tunisia, marking their largest World Cup win since 1938. The dominant performance in Monterrey has injected a surge of confidence into the squad, who had previously faced a dismal qualification period.

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We have even more confidence now.

Despite the overwhelming success, the Swedish players are maintaining a grounded approach. "We have even more confidence now," stated striker Viktor Gyökeres, who, along with Alexander Isak, formed a potent attacking duo. However, he and right-back Alexander Bernhardsson stressed the importance of immediate focus on the next challenge.

"We know there's another match in a few days. Tough opponents await," Bernhardsson said, referring to upcoming games against the Netherlands and Japan. "We can celebrate now, but then it's just about sleeping and recharging. We need to go through analyses of this match, what we did well and what we need to improve, especially how they play. It's just new efforts."

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We know there's another match in a few days. It's tough opponents that await.

Anthony Elanga, who made a brief appearance against Tunisia, echoed this sentiment. "We have to enjoy this win, but we also have to see what we could have done even better for the next match. It's just about continuing. Taking it match by match." Gyökeres agreed, calling it "so simple, yes." He praised the team's strong offense, creating many chances and controlling the game for 90 minutes.

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We can celebrate now but then it's just about sleeping and recharging.

The team's resurgence is largely attributed to the arrival of head coach Graham Potter, who has dramatically altered the team's fortunes since taking over. The players also acknowledged the support from fans back home, who defied early morning hours to watch the match on big screens. "It is for them we are doing this performance, thanks to them. We are doing it for ourselves too, but it helps extremely much when you have that support on site and at home," Gyökeres said.

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It's just about continuing. Taking it match by match.