Arsenal striker Viktor Gyökeres delivered a sensational hat-trick as Sweden defeated Ukraine 3-1 in their 2026 World Cup play-off semi-final on Thursday night in Valencia, Spain.
The Swedish forward opened the scoring in the sixth minute, added a second early in the second half (51st minute), and completed his treble from the penalty spot in the 73rd minute. Ukraine grabbed a late consolation goal through Matvii Ponomarenko, but it was not enough to stop Graham Potter’s side from advancing.
Viktor Gyokeres scored a hat-trick as Sweden beat Ukraine in their World Cup play-off semi-final
Graham Potter’s side are now just one win away from securing a place at the World Cup
Sweden will now host Poland (who came from behind to beat Albania 2-1) in the play-off final on Tuesday at the Strawberry Arena in Stockholm. The winner will secure a spot at the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
Gyökeres, who has endured a mixed debut season at Arsenal following his big-money move from Sporting Lisbon, remains a talisman for his country. The hat-trick took his international tally to 18 goals in 31 appearances, marking his first goals for Sweden since 2024.
“We as a group dream a lot about a World Cup and so do I,” Gyökeres told Viaplay after the match. “We’ve never been there before and we had a good match today, but we need to do it again on Tuesday.”
The victory marked Sweden’s first win since Graham Potter took charge. The former Chelsea and West Ham boss, who recently signed a four-year contract extension, praised his team’s resilience.
“It was a big step forward. I liked how the team looked. They fought when they needed to, against a good team. And Viktor’s performance was incredible, of course,” Potter said.
Gyökeres’ clinical finishing was the highlight of a strong collective display that has put Sweden just 90 minutes away from a return to the World Cup finals.
Potter’s men will now face a tough test against Robert Lewandowski’s Poland, but the momentum is firmly with the Swedes after this impressive showing on neutral ground.