Will the Swiss national team continue to dominate Group B?
With Alexander Isak, Viktor Gyökeres, Hugo Larsson, Anthony Elanga, Lucas Bergvall, and others, the Swedish national soccer team has a whole host of stars who are under contract with top European clubs and regularly gain experience in the UEFA Champions League.
Given the individual quality and the total market value of the squad of €460 million, one might assume that qualifying for the 2026 World Cup should be a mere formality. Not at all! After just two match days, the “Tre Kronor” have their backs against the wall, making a successful tip on a home win between Sweden and Switzerland virtually a must.
The team led by former professional Jon Dahl Tomasson has earned just one measly point from its first two games and is currently in third place in Group B, which consists of only four national teams. The 2-2 draw in Slovenia at the beginning of September was followed three days later by a bitter 0-2 defeat in Kosovo, which has reduced the chances of winning the group and the associated direct ticket to the 2026 World Cup to a low percentage.
However, the Scandinavians can still hope to qualify for their first World Cup since 2018 – on the one hand because second place in the qualifying group is still within reach, and on the other hand because of their promotion from Division C in the Nations League, which entitles them to another chance in the playoffs. Nevertheless, a clear improvement in performance and a clear plan on how the individual players can function even better as a collective are needed in the near future. Based on the impressions from the last two qualifying games, however, any potential prediction between Sweden and Switzerland should be treated with great caution.
This is especially true because a very strong “Nati” will be visiting the Strawberry Arena in Solna. The Swiss national team is still completely undefeated in the 2025 calendar year. They have celebrated five wins in six games. Only one test match at the end of March in Northern Ireland ended in a 1-1 draw. Otherwise, all victories were secured with a margin of at least two goals.
On the first two match days of the World Cup qualifiers, Murat Yakin’s team did not give Kosovo (4-0) or Slovenia (3-0) a chance. All seven goals (!) were scored before the break, so that the Alpine republics only had to manage their clear leads in the second half. A total of 19 goals were scored in six games, which in turn speaks for the enormous offensive threat posed by the 2024 European Championship quarter-finalists.
If Granit Xhaka and Co. continue to perform as they have done, they are the better team in my opinion. This makes the Sweden vs. Switzerland odds on the double chance X2 all the more interesting. With a little courage to take a risk, the Asian handicap (-0.25) can also be played in favor of the visitors in the Bet365 app. All new customers who successfully register with Bet365 also benefit from the Bet365 deposit bonus of up to €100.
Sweden – Switzerland Head-to-head comparison / H2H record
There have already been 29 international matches between Switzerland and Sweden. With eleven wins for each team and seven draws, the record is completely balanced. However, as 26 of these 29 encounters date back to the previous millennium, the influence of the head-to-head record on the Sweden vs. Switzerland betting odds is limited. Even the most recent direct duel took place seven years ago. Nevertheless, it is striking that in the 29 matches mentioned, the home team prevailed 18 times. On Friday evening, the host is once again the favorite.
Sweden – Switzerland Tip
The match between Sweden and Switzerland is perfect proof that individual quality in a national team helps, but is by no means the only indicator of success. On the contrary, Sweden has an extremely prominent squad, yet only managed to collect one out of a possible six points from their first two qualifying games.
The Swiss, on the other hand, got off to a confident start with two wins, conceding no goals against Slovenia (3-0) and Kosovo (4-0), and are therefore deservedly at the top of the four-team Group B.
My tendency in this direct encounter is also towards the visitors, who function better as a collective, would probably be happy with a point in Solna, and have been very stable defensively recently. However, given the offensive power on both sides, I expect a game in which at least three goals will be scored, with Sweden scoring a maximum of one. I am therefore not averse to betting on an away win. Bet365 offers 2.90 for this on the three-way market. Less risk-averse bettors can settle for 1.50 for the double chance X2!
