Slovenia vs Sweden Prediction, Preview, Predicted Lineups and Team News | FIFA World Cup Qualifiers 2025

• Tournament: 2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers
• Date: Friday, 5th September 2025
• Kick-off Time: 18:45 PM GMT
• Venue: Stozice Stadium, Ljubljana

Slovenia look to start off their 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers campaign in a commanding fashion when they host a high-flying Sweden side in what should be an entertaining clash on Friday evening. The Slovenia vs Sweden clash will take place at the Stozice Stadium and will be a tightly-contested affair where both sides fight strongly for the three points. Here is our Slovenia vs Sweden preview.

The last time that Slovenia qualified for a FIFA World Cup tournament was in 2010, which is why they're particularly eager to break that jinx this time around. Slovenia head into this first qualification group game with some momentum behind them, having won their last three international matches.

Matjaz Kek will be urging his side to take energy from their faithful home supporters and produce a cagey performance against Sweden. He will, of course, need to shape up a strong defensive line for them to frustrate the visitors, but he will need his side to be clinical and decisive on the transitions and put away their chances efficiently to have a chance of getting an important victory.

Sweden missed out on the 2022 FIFA World Cup, which is why they're eager to top the 2026 World Cup qualifiers group and book a place in the tournament in the USA. Fortunately for them, Sweden have enjoyed some stellar form since the end of 2024, having won four of their last five matches and having scored an impressive 17 goals too.

Johan Dahl Tomasson will be eager for his side to maintain the dominant form heading into the World Cup qualifiers and for them to start their qualification campaign with a positive performance. Even though he will want his side to be cautious and proactive defensively, Tomasson will focus on encouraging quick, innovative attacking moves for them to disrupt Slovenia's defensive shape and get a big win.

Slovenia National Football Team News

Matjaz Kek has a relatively fresh enough squad for the upcoming World Cup qualifiers. He will, although, be missing Jon Gorenc-Stankovic as he recovers from a knock and will be unavailable for the upcoming matches.

Sweden National Football Team News

Johan Dahl Tomasson is also dealing with some injury and fitness issues plaguing a few members of his squad. Liverpool's latest recruit Alexander Isak has been selected in the squad, but his fitness levels remain questionable because of no game time in the 2025/26 season so far. Gabriel Gudmundsson is another doubt as he recovers from a leg injury.

Slovenia vs Sweden Predicted Lineups

Here are our Slovenia vs Sweden Predicted Lineups.

Slovenia National Football Team Predicted Lineup (4-2-3-1):

Goalkeeper: Jan Oblak

Defenders: Zan Karnicnik, David Brekalo, Jaka Bijol, Erik Janza

Midfielders: Dejan Petrovic, Tamar Svetlin, Sandi Lovric

Forwards: Daniel Sturm, Jan Mlakar, Benjamin Sesko

Sweden National Football Team Predicted Lineup (3-5-2):

Goalkeeper: Robin Olsen

Defenders: Emil Krafth, Isak Hien, Hjalmar Ekdal, Daniel Svensson, Ken Sema

Midfielders: Lucas Bergvall, Hugo Larsson, Yasin Ayari

Forwards: Anthony Elanga, Viktor Gyokeres

Slovenia vs Sweden Head-to-Head Record

These two sides have only faced off against each other on four occasions so far. Out of that, Sweden have won twice and Slovenia are yet to win a single match against them.

Key Players to Watch in Slovenia vs Sweden

Benjamin Sesko (Slovenia)

Benjamin Sesko has had a slow start to his Manchester United career, but he can gain some much-needed momentum in the international break. Sesko, who scored 13 goals in the 2024/25 Bundesliga by overperforming his 9.89 xG (expected goals), will be eager to prove his quality as a no.9.

He will look to use his impressive pace and off-the-ball movement to disrupt the Swedish defensive line and get himself into the key danger zones in the final third. Sesko will be tasked with getting at the end of chances in and around the box and finishing them off ruthlessly to enhance his side's goal-scoring threat and help them get an important result.

Viktor Gyokeres (Sweden)

With Alexander Isak's fitness in doubt, Viktor Gyokeres is primed to lead the line for the Sweden side. The 27-year-old striker has had a decent start to his Arsenal career, scoring two goals in three Premier League games so far by outperforming his 1.28 xG. Gyokeres aims to pick up his form and help Sweden get some major results at the start of the World Cup qualification campaign.

He will look to use his physicality and smart link-up play to drive his side forward into the key areas and trouble the opposition defenders. Gyokeres is going to be looking to pounce on opportunities in the box and convert them with precision to guide his side to a win.

Slovenia vs Sweden Prediction

Even though Slovenia are yet to defeat Sweden in an international match in their history, that doesn't mean they'll be demotivated by this. Slovenia's decent form heading into the form should help them frustrate the Swedish players with their defensive prowess and hurt them on the transitions.

This should be a back-and-forth contest in which both teams get plenty of chances to score. However, the overall quality of the Sweden side and their ruthless attacking talent should help them nudge Slovenia to get a win. Here is our Slovenia vs Sweden prediction.

Predicted Score: Slovenia 1-2 Sweden

Where to watch Slovenia vs Sweden Live?

Here we look at where to watch Slovenia vs Sweden in key regions around the globe.