Sweden made a commanding start to the 2026 FIFA World Cup, demolishing Tunisia 5-1 in front of a large crowd at the Estadio BBVA in Monterrey, Mexico, to go top of Group F. Midfielder Yasin Ayari scored twice and set up several other chances, while Alexander Isak and Viktor Gyökeres each contributed a goal and an assist, and substitute Mattias Svanberg added a fourth late on to complete a thoroughly one-sided evening for the Scandinavian side.
Ayari, an 18-year-old Brighton midfielder born in Solna, Sweden to a Tunisian father, opened the scoring with a thunderous strike from outside the box in the seventh minute after a defensive mix-up. His celebrations were visibly muted — he apologised to opposing players on several occasions, a poignant illustration of the competing loyalties that shape modern international football. Sweden doubled their lead on the half-hour when Isak, the Liverpool forward, raced onto a pass from Gyökeres and converted despite the goalkeeper getting a hand to the ball. Tunisia briefly offered hope just before the break when defender Omar Rekik — born in The Hague to a Tunisian family — headed home a precise cross from Hannibal Mejbri, making it 2-1 at half-time.
Any hope of a Tunisian comeback was quickly extinguished after the interval. In the 59th minute, Isak intercepted a slack pass from Tunisia captain Ellyes Skhiri on the edge of the box and fed Gyökeres, who fired home with ease. Substitute Svanberg then scored just seconds after coming on — reportedly the fastest goal by a substitute in World Cup history — and Ayari completed his brace in stoppage time with another superb long-range effort, this time celebrating freely.
The result was particularly damaging to Tunisia's reputation: the North African nation had not conceded a single goal throughout their qualifying campaign, becoming the first side ever to achieve that feat. Their defensive frailties on Sunday, however, told a very different story. Sweden coach Graham Potter praised the chemistry between his two forwards after the match.