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Sweden at the World Cup

Sweden's 12th participation at the World Cup was in Russia 2018. Previous appearances were in 1934, 1938, 1950, 1958, 1970, 1974, 1978, 1990, 1994, 2002. They failed to make the World Cup finals in 2010, 2014 and 2022.

Sweden claimed fourth place in the 1938 FIFA World Cup. Twenty years later in 1958, the Swedes had their best performance, finishing runners-up. They reached the final on home soil after dismissing the defending champions Germany in the semi-final, however, their opponents in the final proved superior as Brazil defeated the Scandinavian home side 5-2.

2018 World Cup Sweden taking a penalty shot2018 World Cup Sweden taking a penalty shot

After their success in 1958, Sweden failed to qualify for the next two tournaments. In 1970 their campaign ended in the first round, in 1974 they went one round further. In 1978 they returned home without a win.

In 2018, Sweden were back in the tournament after a 16 year break. On the way through qualifying, they knocked out Italy and Netherlands. They did not qualify for the 2022 tournament in Qatar.

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