A wait of almost a century is about to end on the World Cup stage. For the first time in the 96-year history from 1930 to 2026, France and Sweden, the two strongest teams in Europe, are going to face each other in the World Cup. This much-awaited fight will be held at 3 am Bangladesh time in the last 32 matches of the North American World Cup.

Although the two traditional teams of world football have been part of the World Cup since the beginning, they have never played against each other.

Although the opportunity arose in 1958, as they failed to reach the final, that possibility never became a reality.

Historically, in the 1958 World Cup, Sweden reached the final, but France stopped in the semi-finals, where they lost 5-2 to Brazil. On the other hand, Brazil won the title in that tournament by defeating Sweden.

Although a long time has passed since then, the paths of the two teams have never met on the World Cup stage.

However, they have faced each other several times in the European Championship and qualifiers. A 1-1 draw at Euro 1992, a 2-0 win for Sweden at Euro 2012 and a 2-1 home win for both teams in the 2018 World Cup qualifiers, despite all the rivalry, they have never met on the World Cup stage.

France has advanced to the knockout stage in this tournament with a bang. They won all three of their group stage matches and scored 10 goals.

On the other hand, Sweden has somehow managed to make it to the last 32 as the third best team.

Before the match, former Swedish star Zlatan Ibrahimovic made a cautious comment about France. He said, “I don’t see any team that can beat France. They play football at a different level.”

On the other hand, Sweden coach Graham Potter was optimistic but admitted that a perfect performance is needed to stand a chance against a big team.

The French camp is also not taking the match lightly. Coach Didier Deschamps has warned the players that Sweden’s experience and tactical strength could put them in danger.