A first World Cup meeting between France and Sweden sees the European nations square off in the Round of 32 at New York New Jersey Stadium.
Round of 32
Wednesday, 01 July | New York New Jersey Stadium
Kick-off time
05:00 (GMT+8)
The match
Having dominated to seal top spot in Group I, France head into this FIFA World Cup 2026™ Round of 32 clash with Sweden at New York New Jersey Stadium with plenty of momentum behind them. The 2018 champions and 2022 runners-up racked up 10 goals as they put Senegal, Iraq, and Norway to the sword in the group stage. Sweden, on the other hand, took a rollercoaster journey to book their place in the knockouts, beating Tunisia 5-1 in their opener then losing by the same scoreline to Netherlands in their second game before a 1-1 draw with Japan secured third place in Group F.
Goals can surely be expected in this clash, with France boasting three of the tournament’s finest attacking talents in Kylian Mbappe, Ousmane Dembele, and Michael Olise, while Sweden can call upon the likes of Alexander Isak, Viktor Gyokeres and Anthony Elanga.
Whoever emerges triumphant here will progress to the Round of 16, where they will face Germany or Paraguay at Philadelphia Stadium on 4 July.
France possible starting XI
Maignan; Kounde, Upamecano, Saliba, Hernandez; Tchouameni, Rabiot; Olise, Dembele, Doue; Mbappe
Sweden possible starting XI
Zetterstrom; Lagerbielke, Lindelof, Gudmundsson; Bernhardsson, Bergvall, Ayari, Stroud; Elanga, Gyokeres, Isak
New York New Jersey Stadium
A multipurpose stadium which opened in 2010, New York New Jersey Stadium currently hosts the NFL’s New York Giants and New York Jets. The venue was the centrepiece for the conclusion of the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 as fans from across the globe tuned in to see Chelsea’s thrilling 3-0 victory over Paris Saint-Germain. During World Cup 2026, eight matches will be played here, with five group games, knockout fixtures in the Round of 32 and Round of 16 and the showpiece FIFA World Cup Final on 19 July.