World Cup Story Feed
World Cup Story Feed
5 1 and 1 5. Sweden produced these mirror image scores in the group stage. They scored five against Tunisia in a win, and conceded five against the Netherlands in a loss. In the third match, they played out a 1 1 draw with Japan—considering Japan had just thrashed Tunisia 4 0 in the second round. Four points, zero goal difference. Thanks to the new rule of "best third placed teams," the Swedes scraped through. This was the first use of the system since the expansion to 48 teams: the top two from each of the 12 groups, plus the eight best third placed teams, fill the 32 team knockout stage. Sweden just barely made the cut—one less point and they would have been out.
5-1 and 1-5. Sweden produced these mirror-image scores in the group stage. They scored five against Tunisia and lost five to the Netherlands. The third match was a 1-1 draw with Japan—considering Japan had just thrashed Tunisia 4-0 in the second round. Four points, zero goal difference. Thanks to the new rule for the "best third-placed teams," the Swedes scraped through. This was the first time the rule was used since the tournament expanded to 48 teams: the top two from each of the 12 groups, plus the eight best third-placed teams, form the round of 32. Sweden just made the cut; one less point and they'd be heading home.
Then they walked into the training ground and found half the stands had collapsed.
June 25, Frisco, Texas, Toyota Stadium. The Swedish team arrived to train, and the media stands were already a pile of rubble. This 20,000-seat stadium was undergoing a $182 million renovation, set for completion in 2028. Construction and the World Cup training camp were happening simultaneously, neither stopping.
Midfielder Zeneri looked at the scattered concrete and his first thought was to check the weather. "I was like, 'What happened?' As far as I know, there was no storm," he told Aftonbladet. A professional footballer, seeing the training ground reduced to ruins, and his first instinct was to check the weather forecast.
It was later confirmed to be a planned demolition. As for how it was done, two different stories emerged. Swedish national team general manager Petterson said: "They probably detonated something, and it went wrong." He used the word "detonated" and added, "It seemed to fall in the wrong direction." A few hours later, FC Dallas issued a written statement: "Using a pull-down demolition method, no explosives were used."
Detonated. Pulled down. The same operation, two completely opposite verbs. Petterson wasn't on site, relying on visual observation; Dallas's statement was an official version carefully reviewed word by word by the PR department. On one side, an eyewitness account; on the other, a press release, with FIFA's silent treatment in between—they haven't issued a single statement on the safety of the training camp location. The $182 million construction site continued as usual, and the national team completed its entire training session nearby.
Porter's current situation is pretty much like this stadium.
When he was sacked by West Ham United in September 2025, the English media had already written him off as a failure. Three weeks later, he took over Sweden, signing a five-month short-term contract covering only the playoffs. His debut was a 1-4 loss to Switzerland, and everyone expected his professional career to be officially buried.
The playoffs saved him. March 31 against Poland, 3-2. Gyökeres scored the winner in the 89th minute. This striker netted four goals in two playoff matches, dragging Sweden single-handedly to the World Cup. The moment that goal hit the net, Porter's contract was automatically extended until 2030. From a discarded Premier League manager to a World Cup head coach of a 32-team squad, it took him less than eight months. He had started his career in Sweden in 2011, taking fourth-tier Östersund to the Europa League before moving to England seven years later. Coming full circle, he now leads the national team.
But the squad he has doesn't resemble a stable national team. Against Tunisia, a 5-1 win: Ayari scored twice, Isak and Gyökeres each added one, and Svabergi sealed it in stoppage time. Against the Netherlands, a 1-5 loss: Brobbey and Gakpo each scored twice, and Summerville added another in the 89th minute. The same lineup, producing two extreme results within a week.
Seven goals scored, seven conceded, zero goal difference. Don't use form fluctuations as an excuse; this is tactical exposure. Porter has dismantled the old dressing room order, but the new defensive system is still shaky on the scaffolding. Gyökeres is carrying the team forward, while others are still finding their positions.
June 30, MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, 5 PM. France advances as Group I winners; Sweden qualifies as the third-placed team from Group F. The French coaching staff now faces a preparation puzzle: which Sweden to prepare for? The one that beat Tunisia 5-1 in the first round, or the one that lost 1-5 to the Netherlands in the second?