Even ‘perfect’ Sweden may not have beaten France, says Graham Potter after exiting 2026 FIFA World Cup

Kylian Mbappe’s well-matched French team simply could not be beaten on Tuesday, Swedish coach Graham Potter said, as his side exited the FIFA World Cup for the first time since 1990 with few regrets against an untouchable opponent.

Sweden had reached at least the round of 16 in their previous four trips to the tournament but lost 3-0 to the two-time world champions, with Potter saying they would go home proud despite the lopsided scoreline.

“We had to be perfect, and even if we were, I’m not sure if that would have been enough, if I’m honest, because the opponent was at a high level,” he told reporters.

“You look at the careers and the CVs of the French team, you compare them to ours, where we are now – we are a young development team with hopefully a lot of good things ahead,” Potter added.

The mismatch was evident long before the match started, with France using its experience to reach the knockout round with a perfect nine points, while the young Swedish team entered the tournament facing a chaotic group stage.

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France practiced on the pitch to the dulcet tones of Edith Piaf’s “La Vie en rose” before leaving the Scandinavian team red-faced under sweltering heat and a relentless attack, with Mbappe curling his first of two into the corner of the net late in the first half.

Sweden allowed fans to make themselves dream the impossible after Paraguay eliminated Germany on penalties just a day earlier – one of the biggest upsets of the tournament.

But it became clear that David would not have a triumph over Goliath this time as Bradley Barcola added insurance and Mbappe scored his 18th goal of the tournament in the second half.

“If we had been 0-0 at halftime, that would have been nice,” said veteran Swedish defender Victor Lindelof.

«They score quite quickly in the second half, and after that it becomes even more difficult. We are facing a very good team, but we wanted to have more of the game,» he added.

France will face Paraguay in the last sixteen.

«Of course it’s football, everything is possible. But I personally haven’t seen a better team (than France),» Potter said.

Published on July 1, 2026