Sweden vs Romania Result

Sweden go into Friday's UEFA Nations League opener carrying the scars of a World Cup campaign; Romania go into it having barely left the training ground since March. That gap in recent match sharpness is the story of this fixture before a ball is kicked.

• Fixture: Sweden v Romania
• Competition: UEFA Nations League
• Date: Friday, 25 September 2026
• Kick-off: 19:45 BST
• Venue: Strawberry Arena, Sweden

Sweden's World Cup summer leaves Potter short at the back

Sweden reached the World Cup in June and it showed both what they can do and where they break. A 5-1 win over Tunisia and a 1-1 draw with Japan sat either side of heavy defeats to the Netherlands (5-1) and France (3-0), and in March they'd already shown the same pattern in qualifying: a 3-1 win away at Ukraine, then a scratchy 3-2 home win over Poland.

Graham Potter's squad for Romania is missing key defensive cover. Gustaf Lagerbielke arrived at the training camp with a groin injury and has been ruled out, and midfielder Besfort Zeneli is out with a foot problem picked up in the same camp. Newcastle United's Anthony Elanga, who scored twice at the World Cup, also misses out through injury. Viktor Gyökeres, Alexander Isak and Lucas Bergvall remain available up front.

Romania have gone three away games without a goal

Gheorghe Hagi took charge of Romania in April 2026, and results since have been thin. Their run of four matches reads one win, one draw and two defeats: a 2-1 win over Wales at home, a 1-1 draw away in Georgia, then away defeats to Slovakia (2-0) and Turkey (1-0) either side of that draw. In those three away fixtures, Romania have not scored at all.

That run matters more than most for Friday, given they travel to face a Sweden side unbeaten in three home matches this year.