Sweden Stun With 5-1 Demolition of Tunisia in World Cup Group F Opener

20 Jun 2026

Sweden delivered one of the tournament's most emphatic opening statements on June 14, routing Tunisia 5-1 at Estadio Monterrey in Mexico. Brighton's Yasin Ayari, whose Tunisian heritage made the match bittersweet, scored two long-range thunderbolts either side of the contest, while Alexander Isak and Viktor Gyokeres combined superbly — each scoring one and assisting the other. Mattias Svanberg came off the bench to score the fourth goal just 18 seconds after his introduction, the second-fastest goal by a substitute in World Cup history. Tunisia's Omar Rekik briefly halved the deficit at 2-1 before halftime, but Sweden's quality proved far too great. Graham Potter's side now lead Group F ahead of the Netherlands and Japan, who drew 2-2 earlier that day.