Absurdity at its finest: Isak & Gyokeres could reach WC despite winning mere two points in the qualifiers?!

European minnows like Luxembourg, Belarus, Azerbaijan, San Marino, Moldova, Liechtenstein, Andorra, and Gibraltar aside - Sweden were the worst national team in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.

The crew, whose bench the ex-Brighton, Chelsea, and West Ham boss Graham Potter has recently taken over, led by top-notch players such as Victor Lindelof and Emil Forsberg, and superstars like Alexander Isak and Viktor Gyokeres won only two points in the entire campaign (two draws against Slovenia) and finished last in its group, scoring only four goals in six matches.

To put things into perspective, the Blue-Yellow's final point tally was worse than that of teams including Bulgaria, Georgia, Armenia, Malta, Lithuania, Cyprus, Estonia, Kazakhstan, Latvia, and Montenegro, among others.

And still, Sweden will participate in the European World Cup playoffs, unlike any of the sides mentioned above! How and why? Ask FIFA.

Namely, according to the regulations, twelve entrants secured their spots through the qualifiers, while the remaining four places were guaranteed to the four best-ranked UEFA Nations League group winners, that finished outside the top two in their respective qualifying groups, all based on the 2024/2025 UNL interim overall ranking.

Therefore, alongside Romania, North Macedonia, and Northern Ireland - which, by the way, were in contention for the top two spots in their groups almost until the last round - Sweden (un)deservedly secured their position in Pot 4 of the playoffs.

'March madness' gives final verdict: Two playoffs, 18 teams & six remaining World Cup tickets

In the end, like in some computer game, the Swedes received a new life and a chance to start over, as if someone pressed the reset button. Now, they'll have four months to prepare for the utmost challenge and try to change their fortunes.

However, the question of whether a team which went through such a dreadful qualifying campaign deserved a fresh opportunity remains open.