France vs Sweden: World Cup Round of 32 Preview

France and Sweden meet at MetLife Stadium in New York in a World Cup Round of 32 tie that pits one of the group stage’s form teams against a more erratic opponent. France arrive as group winners with a perfect record, nine points and a +8 goal difference after three straight wins (form: WWW). They have scored 10 and conceded just 2, averaging 3.3 goals per game while keeping one clean sheet.

Sweden also progressed to the Round of 32 with four points and a neutral goal difference after one win, one draw and one defeat (form: DLW in the standings, WLD in the wider stats sample). They have been entertaining but vulnerable, scoring 7 and conceding 7, including a 5-1 home victory and a 5-1 away loss.

Head-to-Head Meetings

Head-to-head meetings slightly favour France in recent years, with notable results including France 4-2 Sweden in the UEFA Nations League and a 2-1 home win in World Cup qualifying, though Sweden have produced big tournament shocks before.

With France’s flawless record and attacking stars like Kylian Mbappé and Ousmane Dembélé in prolific form, the verdict points to France progressing from this Round of 32 clash.