Potter commits to Sweden before France knockout

Potter: "I'm staying"

Graham Potter has given your team exactly what it needed before the France match. "I'm staying," the Sweden manager said, shutting down any uncertainty about his future (1).

The timing matters. Sweden face France Thursday in the Round of 32, and Potter's name had been drifting through the rumor mill after guiding a team that barely scraped through World Cup qualifying to the knockout stage.

Potter took over after a disastrous qualifying campaign under Jon Dahl Tomasson and turned it around (2). Now he has made his intentions clear.

Sweden go again at MetLife

The leap from that qualifying mess to the World Cup round of 32 is real. Sweden advanced as a third-placed team from Group F and now face a France side that swept its group (2). No one gives your team a chance.

German outlet Nieuwsblad called Sweden "the surprise package," a team that will not try to outplay France but will grind (2). That has been the Potter blueprint.

Elliot Stroud on the left, a wall at the back, and hope on the counter. The MetLife Stadium crowd will have plenty of yellow in it.

Fan reactions

Swedish supporters online are leaning into the underdog role. One thread captured the mood: a player from Mjällby marking a Ballon d'Or winner, and not a trace of fear in the comments. See what fans are saying