Sweden opened their 2026 FIFA World Cup campaign with a 5-1 win over Tunisia in Monterrey, moving top of Group F after the first round of matches. Yasin Ayari scored twice in a dominant performance, while Alexander Isak, Viktor Gyökeres and Mattias Svanberg also scored.
Tunisia briefly gave themselves hope through Omar Rekik’s first-half header. Sweden then took control after the break and turned the match into their biggest World Cup scoring display since 1938.
Ayari leads Sweden attack
Ayari opened the scoring early after Tunisia made a defensive mistake. The midfielder finished sharply and later added Sweden’s fifth with a long-range strike.
His two goals carried extra meaning because his father is Tunisian. Ayari did not celebrate his first goal, but his performance gave Sweden control in midfield and helped punish Tunisia mistakes. Sweden’s attacking players also worked well around him. Isak and Gyökeres caused problems with their movement, pace and link-up play throughout the match.
Isak and Gyökeres combine well
Sweden doubled their lead through Isak after a quick counterattack. Gyökeres helped create the chance, and Isak finished to put Sweden in command.
Tunisia responded when Rekik headed in from Hannibal Mejbri’s delivery. The goal made the match competitive before half-time, but Sweden kept finding space behind Tunisia’s defence.
In the second half, Isak and Gyökeres combined again before Gyökeres scored Sweden’s third. That goal ended Tunisia’s hopes of a comeback and allowed Sweden to control the match.
Tunisia punished for mistakes
Tunisia entered the tournament with a strong defensive record in qualifying. That record did not carry into their World Cup opener, where mistakes and open spaces hurt them badly. Svanberg added Sweden’s fourth after a VAR review. Ayari then completed the scoring with his second goal, giving Sweden a four-goal margin and a strong early goal difference.
Tunisia now have more work to do in Group F. Defensive errors and poor control in midfield gave Sweden too many chances.
Group F race begins
The result puts Sweden ahead in Group F after the Netherlands and Japan drew 2-2 in the other match. Goal difference could be important if several teams stay close in the qualification race. Sweden will next face the Netherlands on June 20. Tunisia will play Japan the following day, needing a response after a difficult opening defeat.
