Sweden and Tunisia are set to collide in Guadalupe on Sunday night in what promises to be a compelling Group F clash at the 2026 World Cup — a contest that pits Swedish attacking ambition against Tunisian defensive discipline.

Group F has already delivered entertainment earlier in the day, with the Netherlands and Japan sharing a 2-2 draw in Dallas. Now the tournament's spotlight shifts to what many consider the most scenic stadium in world football for this intriguing encounter.

Tunisia's defensive record and managerial change

Tunisia arrived at this tournament with one of the most impressive qualifying records of any side — they were among the rare few to complete the qualification campaign without conceding a single goal, a feat shared only by Ivory Coast and England.

Despite that achievement, Tunisia made a managerial change after qualifying ended, following a disappointing Africa Cup of Nations campaign earlier this year. Former Nottingham Forest manager Sabri Lamouchi was appointed in January and has taken charge of just four matches so far.

Those results have been inconsistent: a 1-0 win over Haiti, a goalless draw with Canada, a 1-0 defeat to ten-man Austria, and a 5-0 hammering at the hands of Belgium — the last of which came with Tunisia themselves reduced to ten men. It leaves Lamouchi's side something of an unknown quantity heading into this opener.

Tunisia are not flush with household names, and much of their creative hope rests on former Manchester United midfielder Hannibal Mejbri, who will look to provide quality in the number 10 role. Their most reliable path to a positive result, however, is likely to run through the back line — keeping things tight and frustrating their opponents.

Sweden's unconventional path and the Isak-Gyokeres question

Sweden's road to this tournament was anything but smooth. They failed to win a single one of their six qualification group games, surviving only thanks to their Nations League performances, which earned them a place in the play-offs.

Graham Potter was brought in to oversee that play-off campaign, and the former Brighton and Chelsea boss delivered — Sweden put three goals past both Ukraine and Poland to book their place at the tournament.

The key question surrounding Sweden heading into this match is whether Alexander Isak and Viktor Gyokeres will play together from the start. Arsenal's Gyokeres was in devastating form during the play-offs, scoring a hat-trick in the semi-finals as a lone striker before netting the winner in the final — all while his Liverpool counterpart Isak was sidelined through injury.

Potter now faces a significant selection decision. For now, Sweden's attacking depth looks likely to be too much for a Tunisian side still finding their footing under a relatively new manager. A 2-0 Sweden victory is the expected outcome.