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Arsenal striker Viktor Gyokeres could miss out on the World Cup with Sweden, who have been in disarray during the qualification stage
Arsenal's Viktor Gyokeres has been dealt a setback in his aspirations to represent Sweden in the upcoming World Cup. Currently, the team languishes at the bottom of qualification group B, leaving them with just one remaining route to secure their place in North America next summer.
Under the leadership of ex-Chelsea and Brighton manager Graham Potter for the first time, the squad suffered a 4-1 defeat against Switzerland on Saturday evening. This leaves them with a mere point from their first nine matches.
The team will return to the pitch on Tuesday for their final qualification match against Slovenia. However, the defeat to Switzerland means that Sweden enters this game knowing full well they cannot secure either the top automatic qualification spot or the second play-off position.
Yet, there remains a glimmer of hope for the nation's participation in the summer tournament. They can secure their spot through the UEFA Nations League, a competition in which Sweden earned promotion under former manager Jon Dahl Tomasson.
This means they could potentially secure a place in the World Cup play-offs as one of the four best-performing teams in the Nations League, who haven't already secured a play-off spot through World Cup qualifying.
Despite boasting two of Europe's most coveted strikers, Gyokeres and Liverpool's Alexander Isak, their lacklustre performance in the World Cup qualifiers is surprising. Gyokeres made a summer switch to Arsenal from Sporting CP.
The striker is currently sidelined due to injury during the international break.
He has enjoyed success since his summer move. The 27 year old has bagged four goals in his ten Premier League outings and another two in the Champions League.
He sat out last week's 2-2 draw with Sunderland due to a muscle injury. This same issue has also forced him to miss the Sweden games.
Arsenal will hope that he is fit enough to be able to make a comeback after the international break. The Gunners take on Tottenham in the North London Derby at the Emirates Stadium next Sunday.
If Sweden fail to make the cut for this summer's World Cup, it will be a personal setback for Gyokeres, who will aspire to represent his nation on the world's biggest football stage.
However, Arsenal might view this as a silver lining, as it would afford the player additional time to rest and gear up for the 2026/27 Premier League season, rather than being in North America with his national team.
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