France vs Sweden Preview

Tuesday evening at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey brings one of the marquee Round of 32 ties as France take on Sweden. France were the dominant force in Group I, winning all three games and scoring ten goals — the most impressive record of any side in the group stage. Sweden came through Group F in third place on four points, advancing as one of the best third-placed teams. The contrast in how the two sides navigated the group stage could not be more stark, and France will start this knockout fixture as significant favourites.

France were ruthless in the group stage and arrive in the last thirty-two with genuine momentum. Their most recent outing was a commanding 4–1 win away against Norway on 26th June — a demolition job that confirmed their status as one of the favourites for the entire tournament. Prior to that, they beat Iraq 3–0 at home on 22nd June and Senegal 3–1 at home on 16th June, completing a perfect group stage record. Earlier in this run, a 3–1 home win over Northern Ireland on 8th June continued their excellent pre-tournament preparation, with their only defeat across five outings coming in a 2–1 home loss to Ivory Coast on 4th June — a result that now looks like a useful warning that was heeded. France finished Group I top on nine points with a goal difference of +8, dropping not a single point.

Sweden’s tournament has been a tale of inconsistency. Their most recent outing was a 1–1 draw away against Japan on 26th June — a result that, combined with results elsewhere, was enough to see them through as one of the best third-placed teams. Prior to that, they were hammered 5–1 away by the Netherlands on 20th June in a match that exposed their defensive vulnerabilities against top-level opposition. Earlier in this run, a 5–1 home win over Tunisia on 15th June showed their attacking quality, a 2–2 draw at home to Greece on 4th June and a 3–1 defeat away in Norway on 1st June complete a mixed five-game sequence of one win, two draws and two losses. Sweden will need to be at their very best to cause an upset here.

The head-to-head record heavily favours France, who have won four of the last five meetings with Sweden. The one exception was a 2–1 win for Sweden at home in a qualifier in June 2017. Most recently, France won 4–2 at home in a Nations League fixture in November 2020. In the previous encounter, France won 1–0 away in Sweden in a Nations League match in September 2020.

In France, the game is broadcast on M6, M6+, and myCANAL. In the UK, coverage is available on TalkSport Radio UK and BBC Radio 5 Live. Swedish audiences can follow on TV4 Sweden and TV4 Play. US viewers can catch the action on FOX Network, fuboTV, Telemundo, and Telemundo Deportes En Vivo.

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Possible Lineups

France (4-2-3-1) Maignan, Koundé, Upamecano, Lacroix, Hernández, Tchouaméni, Koné, Dembélé, Olise, Doué, Mbappé

Sweden (3-4-3) Zetterström, Gudmundsson, Hien, Lindelöf, Stroud, Ayari, Isak, Gyökeres, Elanga, Bernhardsson, Lagerbielke

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Group I Table

Pos.	Team	MP	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	P
1	France	3	3	0	0	10	2	+8	9
2	Norway	3	2	0	1	8	7	+1	6
3	Senegal	3	1	0	2	8	6	+2	3
4	Iraq	3	0	0	3	1	12	-11	0

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France Form

Result	Home Team	Score	Away Team	Competition	Date
✅	Norway	1–4	France	World Cup	26-06-26
✅	France	3–0	Iraq	World Cup	22-06-26
✅	France	3–1	Senegal	World Cup	16-06-26
✅	France	3–1	Northern Ireland	Friendly	08-06-26
❌	France	1–2	Ivory Coast	Friendly	04-06-26

Group F Table

Pos.	Team	MP	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	P
1	Netherlands	3	2	1	0	10	4	+6	7
2	Japan	3	1	2	0	7	3	+4	5
3	Sweden	3	1	1	1	7	7	0	4
4	Tunisia	3	0	0	3	2	12	-10	0

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Sweden Form

Result	Home Team	Score	Away Team	Competition	Date
🤝	Japan	1–1	Sweden	World Cup	26-06-26
❌	Netherlands	5–1	Sweden	World Cup	20-06-26
✅	Sweden	5–1	Tunisia	World Cup	15-06-26
🤝	Sweden	2–2	Greece	Friendly	04-06-26
❌	Norway	3–1	Sweden	Friendly	01-06-26

Head-to-Head

Home Team	Score	Away Team	Competition	Date
France	4–2	Sweden	Friendly	17-11-20
Sweden	0–1	France	Friendly	05-09-20
Sweden	2–1	France	World Cup	09-06-17
France	2–1	Sweden	World Cup	11-11-16
France	1–0	Sweden	Friendly	18-11-14

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TV Listings / Streaming

Country	Channel
Great Britain	TalkSport Radio UK, BBC Radio 5 Live
Ireland Republic	RTE 2, RTE Player, BBC Radio 5 Live
France	M6, beIN Sports 1, M6+, myCANAL
Sweden	TV4 Sweden, TV4 Play
USA	FOX Network, fuboTV, Telemundo, Telemundo Deportes En Vivo, FOX One
Germany	SRF zwei, MagentaTV
Italy	DAZN Italia, RAI 1, RaiPlay
Australia	SBS, SBS On Demand
Canada	TSN+, TSN1, TSN3, RDS
Norway	TV 2 Direkte, TV 2 Play