Graham Potter described leading Sweden to the 2026 World Cup as "the best night of his life" given his association to football in the country where his managerial career began. 

Sweden reached the first World Cup since 2018 following a dramatic 3-2 win over Poland in the play-off final on Tuesday, with Viktor Gyokeres scoring an 88th-minute winner. 

Anthony Elanga's opener was cancelled out by Nicola Zalewski, only for Gustaf Lagerbielke to restore Sweden's lead at Strawberry Arena just before the half-time whistle.

Karol Swiderski restored parity once more, only for Arsenal striker Gyokeres to thump the ball home two minutes from time after Besfort Zeneli's shot had struck the post. 

It marked the end of a turbulent qualifying campaign for Sweden that saw Jon Dahl Tomasson sacked after picking up just one point from his first four Group B matches. 

Sweden reached the play-offs through the Nations League path, and after beating Ukraine in the semi-finals, they went one better under Potter, who led the nation where his coaching career started at Ostersund back in 2011. 

"It's the best night of my life, and I've had some wonderful nights, you know, stories with Ostersund and European adventures and Champions League, Premier League wins, but this just feels like more," Potter told reporters. 

"You can feel the atmosphere in the ground. It's very rarely you go to football places and feel that.

"I think when you're a national team, you're working for more than yourself, so when you add all that up and then put the context of the game and the environment and the atmosphere, it was just a special moment."

Sweden only had nine shots to Poland's 15, hitting the target five times while their visitors did so on seven occasions.

But the chances Sweden created were of a higher quality, as they won the expected goals (xG) battle by 1.7 to 1.5. 

Ahead of the kick-off, Gyokeres revealed that the atmosphere in the Swedish team had improved since Potter's arrival, a sentiment echoed by Newcastle United's Elanga. 

"We have very good players and strong leadership, which has helped us ​a lot since they came in. We all appreciate them greatly," Elanga added.

"They have created ⁠an environment where we can simply enjoy our football. 

"We defend together ​and attack together. I think that is the most important thing."

Sweden's victory saw them placed in Group F, alongside Netherlands, Japan and Tunisia, with their first game taking place on June 14 against the latter.