Stockholm, Oct 20 (IANS) Former West Ham manager Graham Potter has been appointed as the new head coach of Sweden.

The 50-year-old has taken on the role on a short-term basis, aiming to revive Sweden’s struggling World Cup qualification hopes.

“I am very humbled by the assignment, but also incredibly inspired. Sweden has fantastic players who deliver in the world’s best leagues during the weeks,” Potter said on his new role.

“My job will be to create the conditions so that we as a team deliver at the highest level to take Sweden to the World Cup next summer.”

Sweden have been without a head coach since the dismissal of Jon Dahl Tomasson, who was sacked following a shock 1-0 defeat to Kosovo on October 13 – a result that ended their hopes of automatic qualification from Group B.

However, all is not lost. Thanks to their strong showing in the 2024–25 UEFA Nations League, where they topped their group, Sweden still have a potential path to the play-offs even without a top-two finish.

Potter arrives in Stockholm after a difficult stint at West Ham, where he was dismissed at the end of September. The Hammers had managed just one win in six matches in the 2025–26 Premier League season, leaving them in the relegation zone. Since joining the club in January, Potter had recorded only six wins in 23 games.

Despite that, Potter remains a respected figure in Swedish football. He famously guided Ostersund from Sweden’s fourth tier to the Allsvenskan in just four seasons, winning the Svenska Cupen in 2017. His coaching resume also includes successful spells at Swansea City and Brighton, before a brief and challenging tenure at Chelsea in 2022.

Sweden will hope Potter can rekindle his magic and lead the team to a strong finish in their qualifying campaign.

–IANS

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