Sweden will meet Ukraine in Valencia on March 26. If they win, the winner of the Poland–Albania match will face off in a qualifying final in Solna on March 31.
The matches come far too soon for Alexander Isak, who suffered a fractured fibula in December.
"Isak has made very good progress and is at the beginning of his team training, but this came too soon for him," Potter said when introducing his squad.
Bergvall taken out
Dejan Kulusevski is also missing. The Tottenham star has not been part of a match squad since his knee surgery in May last year.
"Dejan has made progress, but not as quickly as we would like, so even for him it is too early," Potter said.
However, Lucas Bergvall has been selected. The Tottenham midfielder has just returned to team training after injury.
"He's been training really well with Tottenham and doing his rehab. He's got two games before we meet, there's a lot of information to get there," Potter said, and continued:
"But I can't determine how much he can play until I get feedback from those games."
Right-back Emil Holm, Juventus, is missing due to injury.
"Holm was perhaps close, but not close enough."
Arsenal's attacking star Viktor Gyökeres is in the squad. Also included is Celta Vigo player Williot Swedberg, who previously made an international appearance in summer 2024.
"He's had a really exciting development. I've been impressed with him and the way he plays," Potter said.
Swedberg has been responsible for three La Liga goals, two of which came against Real Madrid this season, and four goals in the Europa League.
Sweden also has an injury crisis on the goalkeeping side. This fall's first-choice goalkeeper, Viktor Johansson, is injured, and Jacob Widell Zetterström is unavailable due to illness.
Now Potter has selected AIK's Kristoffer Nordfeldt (18 A-caps), Sunderland's Melker Ellborg (0) and Como's Noel Törnqvist (0).
"Challenging"
Ukraine is also missing several stars, but Graham Potter expects an even match.
"Ukraine came second in their group behind France. They were stable," he said, continuing:
"It will be a challenging match, as expected, to reach the World Cup."
If Sweden reaches the World Cup, they will face Tunisia, the Netherlands and Japan in a group. The championship will be held in the USA, Canada and Mexico from June 11 to July 19.
Facts: Sweden's squad
Goalkeepers: Melker Ellborg, Sunderland, Kristoffer Nordfeldt, AIK, Noel Törnqvist, Como.
Defenders: Gabriel Gudmundsson, Leeds, Isak Hien, Atalanta, Herman Johansson, Dallas, Gustaf Lagerbielke, Braga, Victor Nilsson Lindelöf, Aston Villa, Carl Starfelt, Celta Vigo, Elliot Stroud, Mjällby, Daniel Svensson, Dortmund.
Midfielder/striker: Taha Ali, Malmö FF, Yasin Ayari, Brighton, Roony Bardghji, Barcelona, Lucas Bergvall, Tottenham, Anthony Elanga, Newcastle, Viktor Gyökeres, Arsenal, Jesper Karlström, Udinese, Hugo Larsson, Frankfurt, Gustav Lundgren, Gais, Gustaf Nilsson, Club Brugge, Benjamin Nygren, Celtic, Eric Smith, St Pauli, Mattias Svanberg, Wolfsburg, Williot Swedberg, Celta Vigo, Besfort Zeneli, Union St Gilloise.
Corrected: In the previous version, Noel Törnqvist had the wrong club affiliation.
Semi-finals: Italy–Northern Ireland and Wales–Bosnia-Herzegovina. Final: Wales/Bosnia-Herzegovina–Italy/Northern Ireland.
Semi-finals: Ukraine–Sweden and Poland–Albania. Final: Ukraine/Sweden–Poland/Albania.
Semi-finals: Turkey–Romania and Slovakia–Kosovo. Final: Slovakia/Kosovo–Turkey/Romania.
Semi-finals: Denmark–North Macedonia and Czech Republic–Ireland. Final: Czech Republic/Ireland–Denmark/North Macedonia.
The semi-finals will be played on March 26. The finals on March 31.
The final winners are ready for the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
