Viktor Gyokeres was reduced to a bench role for the Champions League final, which could affect the striker while playing for Sweden at the World Cup
13:33, 15 Jun 2026Updated 13:44, 15 Jun 2026
Viktor Gyokeres was named as a substitute for Arsenal’s Champions League Final clash with PSG.(Image: (Photo by David Price/Arsenal FC via Getty Images))
Viktor Gyokeres ‘ lack of game time at Arsenal could hamper Sweden’s hopes of advancing towards the latter stages of the World Cup, according to national icon Tomas Brolin. The 28-year-old striker scored in Sweden’s convincing 5-1 win over Tunisia in the early hours of Monday morning in the Group F clash.
It was his 21st goal in 34 caps for his country, continuing his impressive form in 2026 after a slow start to the campaign with his new club. Brighton’s Yasin Ayari bagged a brace and Liverpool striker Alexander Isak added his name to the scoresheet too.
The goal provided a huge confidence boost for Gyokeres, who was left out of Mikel Arteta’s starting XI for the Champions League final against PSG, with Havertz preferred to the lead the line. That decision paid off within five minutes, as Havertz brilliantly fired beyond Matvey Safonov to hand Arsenal the lead before the holders rallied to level through an Ousmane Dembele penalty.
Gyokeres later came off the bench and slotted home from the spot in the penalty shootout, but the north London outfit suffered an agonising 4-3 defeat on penalties in Budapest. Arteta also snubbed Gyokeres in favour of Havertz for the 2-1 defeat to Manchester City when their title hopes were hanging in the balance.
Viktor Gyokeres scored in Sweden’s 5-1 win over Tunisia(Image: AFP via Getty Images)
The £55 million signing from Sporting CP in August 2025 would’ve been disappointed not to play from the beginning in both of those matches, having bagged 14 goals in 36 appearances in the Premier League and 21 in all competitions. Switching his focus to Sweden’s World Cup campaign, Brolin claimed it was far from ideal preparation for Gyokeres not to have played as often as he would’ve liked.
The former midfielder helped his country reach the World Cup semi-finals in 1994, and he explained that having their best players featuring prominently for their clubs played a major part in their run to the semi-finals. Speaking to Hajper after the Tunisia win, Brolin said: “For Sweden to reach that point again [1994 World Cup], the whole team must be raised by many wonderful percentages. Unfortunately, they don’t have that championship experience that we had when we went far in ’94.
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He later referenced Gyokeres, adding: “There are some players who had a little injury niggle and that’s not good either because that was probably one of the things as well in ’94 that we had a team that hadn’t had that many injuries to its players during the final year. We had also done well in our club teams and arrived with good self-confidence.
“Many in today’s national team who go over have had a messy season. They haven’t had prominent roles in their clubs most of them, but were a bit injured. It’s Gyokeres and maybe one more who have been injury-free and performed. So, it will be tough, but we Swedes, we still have to live on hope, that’s just how it is.
“We must hope that Graham Potter as manager gets this team together and that the players themselves help each other, raise themselves during the match and make sure to simply win them.”
Potter backed Gyokeres to perform up top for his country after praising his contribution to Arsenal’s Premier League title success. “He’s obviously had a fantastic season,” Potter said. “We want to use him to his best, try and get the most out of him. Because if we do, then he gives us a chance to win football matches. That’s for sure.’
There had been doubts as to whether Gyokeres would start in the tournament due to Isak’s recent recovery from a broken leg. But Potter is confident his two star forwards can function together in the same starting XI.
“The team is the biggest strength. Of course, within the team, there are individuals that, if we can get them to play to their highest level, they can make the difference for us,” he said. “But if we just put Victor and Alex out there and there isn’t a functioning team behind them, it isn’t easy to win football matches.”
Arsenal fans can next catch a glimpse of Gyokeres in action for Sweden in the United States when they take on the Netherlands on June 20. A win over the Oranje would guarantee Sweden’s place in the knockout stages.
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