Credit: Imago

Evan Lloyd

Wed 1 April 2026 8:45, UK

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Benjamin Nygren played his part in wild celebrations away from Celtic as Sweden qualified for the World Cup on Tuesday by beating Poland 3-2 in the play-off final.

Arsenal striker Viktor Gyokeres was the man of the moment when he smashed home in the 88th minute to break Polish hearts and book his side a ticket to North America this summer.

Nygren was in from the start and got the assist for Gustaf Lagerbielke’s goal to make it 2-1, after Anthony Elanga’s effort had been cancelled out by Nicola Zalweski.

Karol Swiderski scored after the break to put Poland back on terms, but Graham Potter’s side were not to be denied.

Celtic’s form must improve significantly before the end of the season if they are to claw back the Scottish Premiership, and Nygren will be key to any chance of that happening.

Swedish media: Benjamin Nygren had ‘difficulty’ vs Poland

Football Insider exclusively revealed in March that Celtic will refuse to let Nygren leave this summer despite mounting interest from elsewhere.

The Hoops rejected a £25million bid from Nottingham Forest in January, and there are expected to be further suitors in the summer for the 24-year-old.

Nygren arrived at Parkhead in a deal reportedly worth just £1.7million last summer and has scored 19 goals across all competitions since, consistently contributing despite a turbulent campaign.

For Sweden on Tuesday, it was a similar story. The midfielder’s stunning free-kick found the head of Lagerbielke for a goal created by Celtic present and past.

But, aside from that, his performance was largely made up of his defensive work. Nygren made four clearances, four recoveries and two tackles before he was substituted in the second half.

Swedish outlet Fotbollskanalen rated his performance as “good” and wrote: “Perfectly struck free kick straight at Lagerbielke’s head at 2-1.

“Otherwise had difficulty threatening the opponents and mixed and gave in the passing game.”

How Sweden inexplicably qualified for the World Cup

Sweden’s qualification for the World Cup play-offs is a story within itself. Just last October, Jon Dahl Tomasson was sacked after failing to win any of their opening four qualifying matches.

Potter’s arrival would not see a massive difference, with Sweden ultimately finishing bottom of their qualifying group, having failed to win a single game.

But incredibly, a quirk allowed the nation to qualify for the play-offs regardless, after they topped their Nations League C group in 2024.

Given the chance, they have grabbed it with both hands and will now take their place at this summer’s World Cup.