Sweden Thrash Tunisia 5-1 in Dominant World Cup Opener

Sweden kicked off their 2026 FIFA World Cup campaign in impressive fashion with a commanding 5-1 victory over Tunisia in their Group F opener on Monday.

The Scandinavian side wasted little time in asserting their dominance, taking the lead in the seventh minute through Yasin Ayari.

Sweden continued to control the game and doubled their advantage in the 30th minute when Alexander Isak found the back of the net after being set up by Viktor Gyökeres.

Tunisia briefly threatened a comeback before halftime as Omar Rekik pulled one back in the 43rd minute, giving the North Africans hope heading into the break.

However, Sweden returned for the second half with renewed intensity and quickly restored their two-goal cushion.

Gyökeres, who was influential throughout the encounter, scored Sweden’s third goal in the 59th minute after receiving an assist from Isak.

The partnership between the two forwards proved decisive as Sweden repeatedly exposed Tunisia’s defence.

As Tunisia pushed forward in search of another goal, Sweden capitalised on the spaces left behind. Midfielder Mattias Svanberg added a fourth goal in the 84th minute, effectively ending any hopes of a Tunisian comeback.

Ayari then completed his brace deep into stoppage time, scoring Sweden’s fifth goal in the 96th minute to cap a memorable performance.

Despite enjoying slightly less possession than Tunisia, Sweden were more clinical in attack, registering 13 shots compared to Tunisia’s six.

The victory places Sweden in a strong position in Group F as they look to advance to the knockout stages.

For Tunisia, the heavy defeat serves as an early setback, leaving them with plenty of work to do in their remaining group-stage matches.