Sweden Suffers Opening World Cup Qualifying Defeat to Kosovo

Alexander Isak made his first competitive appearance since his £125 million transfer to Liverpool as a second-half substitute in Sweden's shock 2-0 World Cup qualifying loss to Kosovo. Despite having three shots, including two on target, Isak was unable to score or change the outcome, and he was booked shortly after coming on. Sweden, ranked significantly higher than Kosovo, trailed 2-0 at halftime thanks to first-half goals from Elvis Rexhbecaj and Vedat Muriqi, with Kosovo earning their first points in Group B. Sweden coach Jon Dahl Tomasson explained Isak's limited involvement was due to his lack of preseason and only three training sessions with the team, making it too risky to start him earlier. The defeat leaves Sweden with just one point from two matches, sitting third in their group behind Switzerland, who leads with six points. The loss marks a poor start to Sweden's World Cup 2026 qualification campaign and raises questions about Isak's readiness following his contentious transfer and absence from Newcastle's preseason.