Sweden’s national football team has dismissed head coach Jon Dahl Tomasson, the national federation announced Thursday, after a crucial home defeat left the squad with only a remote mathematical chance of qualifying for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The decision came a day after Sweden’s 1-0 loss to Kosovo in a World Cup qualifier.
The Swedish Football Federation (SvFF) cited poor results in the European qualifying campaign for the 2026 tournament as the reason for the Danish coach’s departure.
The defeat left Sweden at the bottom of Group B with just one point from four matches, effectively ending any possibility of direct qualification. Their standing now requires an extremely improbable sequence of events to even reach the playoff stage.
Kim Källstrom, the SvFF’s director for football, expressed continued belief in the squad despite the change. “We have a group of players we believe in a lot and we want to create new opportunities,” Källstrom said in a statement. “We believe this team can reach the World Cup if there’s a chance to reach the play-offs in March.”
In Group B, Switzerland currently leads with 10 points. Kosovo holds second place with 7 points, and Slovenia has 3 points. Sweden’s single point places them last.
To secure a playoff spot, Sweden would need to win its final two matches – against Switzerland on November 15 and at home against Slovenia on November 18. They would also need Kosovo to fail to earn any additional points from their remaining fixtures. This scenario is considered highly unlikely given Kosovo’s current seven-point advantage.
Tomasson, 49, took charge of the Swedish national team in March 2024. His tenure began with a 5-2 friendly loss to Portugal.
While he did oversee the team’s promotion to Nations League B, the 2026 World Cup qualification campaign proved challenging. Sweden’s record under Tomasson in qualifiers included a 2-2 draw away to Slovenia in the opening match. This was followed by three defeats: a 2-0 loss away to Kosovo, a 2-0 loss away to Switzerland, and the recent 1-0 home defeat against Kosovo.