Sweden marked their return to the FIFA World Cup in emphatic fashion with a dominant 5-1 victory over Tunisia in their Group F opener at Estadio Monterrey on Sunday, with Yasin Ayari scoring twice in a memorable performance.
Playing in their first World Cup since reaching the quarter-finals in 2018, the Swedes delivered a ruthless attacking display to claim all three points and make an early statement in the group.
Sweden started brightly and almost opened the scoring in the fifth minute when Viktor Gyokeres unleashed a powerful effort from the edge of the area, but the strike sailed over the bar.
Just two minutes later, they found the breakthrough in spectacular style. Tunisia failed to deal with a long ball over the top that picked out Alexander Isak. The goalkeeper rushed off his line to punch clear, but the ball fell kindly to Gyokeres. His effort was cleared off the line, only for the loose ball to drop to Yasin Ayari, who smashed a stunning strike into the top corner from distance.
The goal capped a special moment for the Brighton midfielder, whose mother is Tunisian. At 22 years and 251 days old, Ayari became Sweden’s youngest World Cup goalscorer since Tomas Brolin scored against Brazil in 1990.
Tunisia attempted to respond and nearly equalised in the 14th minute when Elias Saad cut inside and fired towards goal. However, goalkeeper Kristoffer Nordfeldt produced an excellent save. Replays later showed Saad had strayed offside, meaning the effort would not have counted.
The North Africans enjoyed spells of possession as the half progressed, with Hannibal Mejbri trying to unlock Sweden’s defence through a series of clever passes and crosses. However, Sweden remained dangerous whenever they broke forward.
Their second goal arrived in the 30th minute through Alexander Isak. Sweden launched a swift counterattack and the Newcastle United forward embarked on a brilliant solo run. After cutting inside his marker, Isak drilled a low effort towards the far corner from the edge of the area. The goalkeeper got a hand to the shot but could not keep it out as Sweden doubled their advantage.
Despite Sweden’s control, Tunisia pulled a goal back just before the break. In the 43rd minute, Hannibal delivered a superb cross into the box and Rekik rose highest at the near post to guide a fine header into the net. The goal gave Tunisia renewed belief heading into halftime.
Before conceding, Sweden had won four of their previous five World Cup matches after scoring first without letting in a goal. The only exception was a 2-1 defeat to Germany in 2018. Rekik’s strike also ended Tunisia’s run of four consecutive World Cup matches without a first-half goal.
Sweden quickly regained control after the interval and restored their two-goal cushion in the 60th minute. Tunisia gifted possession away in dangerous territory when the goalkeeper rolled the ball to a defender who failed to notice Isak closing him down. The striker pounced, won the ball and squared for Gyokeres, who calmly slotted a low finish into the far corner.
Three minutes later, Gyokeres nearly added another goal when he burst forward on a powerful run. However, Tunisia’s defenders recovered well and blocked his path to goal.
Sweden continued to dominate the closing stages and added a fourth goal in the 84th minute. Mattias Svanberg initially looked offside when the ball entered the area, but replays showed Isak, who was in an onside position, got the slightest touch before it reached him, making the goal stand.
The Swedes then completed the rout deep into stoppage time. In the sixth minute of added time, Ayari capped a brilliant performance with his second goal of the evening. The midfielder unleashed a thunderous strike from outside the area that flew into the far corner, leaving the goalkeeper with no chance and sealing a convincing 5-1 victory.
The result gave Sweden a dream start to their 2026 World Cup campaign and underlined their attacking quality ahead of tougher tests to come in Group F.
This was the first official meeting between Sweden and Tunisia and their first encounter at the World Cup. The two nations had previously met only in friendly matches, with Sweden winning twice, Tunisia once and one match ending in a draw. Tunisia’s most recent victory over Sweden came in February 2003 when they won 1-0 on home soil.
Tunisia entered the tournament with one of the youngest squads at the World Cup, averaging 26 years and 235 days. Since taking charge in January, head coach Sabri Lamouchi has focused on developing younger players as he looks to build for the future.
While Tunisia will need to regroup quickly, Sweden can take great confidence from a commanding performance that saw Ayari and Isak shine as they returned to football’s biggest stage in style.
