Sweden sack coach Tomasson after World Cup qualifying defeats

The Swedish Football Association has sacked manager Jon Dahl Tomasson following a poor start to their 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign.

They are bottom of Group B with one point from four games following a 1-0 defeat against Kosovo on Monday.

Sweden, who have an all-star forward line of Liverpool’s Alexander Isak and Viktor Gyokeres of Arsenal – drew with Slovenia and lost against Kosovo and Switzerland in their opening three group games.

The FA said the decision, which had been taken on Tuesday and was effective immediately, was “based on a lack of results in the World Cup qualifiers”.

“There is still a chance to make the playoffs in March, and our responsibility is to ensure that we have the best possible conditions for reaching the World Cup finals,” Simon Astrom, president of the association, said in statement.

“In this, we assess that a new leadership is required in the form of a new coach.”

Sweden will travel to play Switzerland then host Slovenia in their final two matches as they try to draw level with second-placed Kosovo, who have seven points in Group B.

However, they could still reach the play-offs even without finishing in the top two of Group B as a result of their success in the 2024-25 Nations League, where they topped their group.

The winners of the World Cup qualifying groups will fill 12 of the 16 spots available for European nations at next summer’s tournament, with the runners-up in each group progressing to the play-offs.