Sweden is one of many dark horses lurking in the expanded 2026 World Cup field. One of the main figures in the squad is midfielder Jesper Karlström, who has impressed during his time with Udinese.
Revenge is a dish best served cold: just ask Jesper Karlström.
Four years after making his unofficial international debut in a friendly between the top players in Sweden’s Allsvenskan and Denmark’s Superliga, Karlström made his competitive debut for Sweden on March 24, 2022, coming on for the final 15 minutes of an extra time win against Czechia. He then started in a do-or-die World Cup qualifier, but he was unable to will his country to victory, falling 2-0 to Poland.
But he’d get his get-back.
Four years later, almost to the date, the two nations squared off once more in a World Cup qualifying playoff, but this time it was Sweden who prevailed, winning 3-2 in Stockholm to secure a spot in this summer’s tournament.
“It means so much to Sweden, it unites the whole country,” Karlström told Urban Pitch. “Everyone is looking forward to this summer to watch the games together and celebrate this. This whole summer will be like a party just because of this, so I think it means a lot more than people believe. It’s a huge thing, and our chances will be good, for sure.”
“We have a great team and a great coach, so we just have to believe in it together and get the things set and be ready for the opponents.”
A native of Stockholm, Karlström made his pro debut with IF Brommapojkarna in 2013, but he’d truly break out with Djurgårdens IF, where he made 172 appearances between 2015-2020. The midfielder was an integral figure in the club’s 2018 Svenska Cupen final over Malmö, and he did even better in 2019, scoring on the final day to spur Djurgårdens to a comeback victory and their first Allsvenskan title in 14 years.
Karlström scored 12 goals and 11 assists in his time with the Iron Stoves, before leaving Stockholm for the first time and making the move to Polish side Lech Poznań in December 2020.
“It was an amazing experience going abroad for the first time, and to win the league there as well with a club with a lot of history and a lot of fans, it of course made everything more special,” Karlström said to R.Org. “I think the club and the league there, and the level developed me a lot as a player. I think I developed all of my skills there, and had amazing memories there, which obviously brought me to where I am today, and to the national team and everything.”
He enjoyed a seamless transition to life in the Ekstraklasa as well as other competitions, leading Lech Poznań to victory in the 2022 Polish Cup Final and putting an end to a seven-year trophy drought, before leading them to the UEFA Conference League quarterfinals, their best-ever European finish. Karlström scored four goals to go along with nine assists in 144 appearances for the Polish side and did well enough to earn a transfer to Serie A club Udinese for €2 million with potential bonuses in August 2024.
Karlström quickly made an impression in Italian football, proving instrumental for an Udinese side that went from narrowly avoiding relegation to comfortably finishing in the mid-table spots. After just one season in Italy, Karlström was given the captain’s armband and has emerged as an indispensable figure for the Zebrette, who have pulled off wins against Milan, Roma, Inter, Atalanta and Napoli throughout the 2025-26 campaign.
Officially named to Sweden’s 2026 World Cup roster, Karlström will be seeking to make a strong impression in what will be Sweden’s first major tournament in five years. The Blågult reached the quarterfinals in 2018, and with Karlström pulling the strings from midfield, they might just be able to enjoy yet another deep run.
We caught up with Karlström to discuss his career journey, captaining Udinese, and his expectations for what should be a jam-packed summer of football.
Urban Pitch: IF Brommapojkarna have produced a number of Sweden internationals like Viktor Gyökeres, Dejan Kulusevski, Daniel Svensson, and Lucas Bergvall. How important was it for you to develop in a club with such an esteemed academy?
Jesper Karlström: If you see the amount of players that they produced, I think there were six players in the last national team camp, as well as a few others who could’ve been there but missed out due to injury.
It’s amazing that they’ve created so many players on a high level, and the coaches we had when I was young were really good. Brommapojkarna developed us a lot not just as players, but also in terms of how to be good people.
After suffering relegation with Brommapojkarna, it must have felt really good to win the two biggest trophies in Sweden with Djurgårdens. How important were those milestones in your development, being able to say you are a champion? Did that give you the confidence to be where you are now?
Yes and no. I think for me to win those titles, especially the league title, it was like a dream when I started to play football. It was the Swedish league that I watched growing up, and to win that league, it’s not easy. It was a dream come true, and to do it with a team from my city, which is a big club in Sweden and with a lot of fans, it was something incredible, and I will never forget that. We’re in the history books forever, so it’s a great, great memory, which is definitely one of the best of my career.
You must have had a lot of offers after your impressive form with Lech Poznán, but what exactly convinced you to sign with Udinese in 2024?
I don’t know if I had that many offers, because Lech Poznán wanted to keep me, but then Udinese came, and for me, it was always a dream to play in Italy, so I had to fight a little bit to leave. But in the end, it was a good deal for everyone. It was a great step for me, and it was an offer I couldn’t say no to play in Italy, and in this club with a lot of history.
Sweden ranks 19th in the UEFA association coefficients, Poland ranks 12th, and Italy ranks second behind England. Was there a big learning curve going from two mid-tier leagues like Allsvenskan and Ekstraklasa and playing in an elite league like Serie A for the first time in your life?
Yeah, the quality here is higher, of course, and the Polish league is higher than the Swedish league. I played at a high level in Lech Poznán: we played in Europe, and I played for the national team, so I knew I had the level in me. But here in Udinese and in Serie A, the quality is higher, so you need to adapt to playing faster, and all these things. But in the end, it’s football, and you have to believe in yourself and do what you’re good at, and then I think you can go far just with that mentality. I was lucky to adapt here fast, and then just kept going from there.
What do you think it says about about you that you were given the captain’s armband despite only playing just one year in Italy? Do you think that you’re a natural leader?
It’s difficult for me to answer, but I guess, in some way, the coaches like what I do and they see me as a leader. In Djurgårdens, I was also captain in my final year. In Lech Poznán, I was one of the vice captains, so obviously, the coaches see me as one of the leaders. I’m just trying to be myself with the armband or without the armband. But obviously it comes with a lot of responsibility when you have it, so I try to do my best and to lead the team in my way.
What was it like getting the chance to play in two World Cup qualifiers and being able to lead your country to the World Cup? Obviously, you haven’t played in a major tournament yet, but getting the chance to play in a do-or-die match where the winner goes to the World Cup, the loser has to wait another four years, is there anything like it in football?
Yeah, it’s very special to play a game like that. It’s not like you can do it again next year if you lose. You have to wait four years for your next chance. It was crazy that we played against Poland again, a country that I have connections to. Even more because of that, it was a lot of pressure. It it was destiny that we played against Poland again, and the emotions were crazy when we won this game.
It was such a relief, so much happiness and all the positive feelings. It’s very special when you’re a part of something that makes the whole country happy, you know? You saw how much it meant to everyone, even people who normally don’t watch football watch this game and will watch the World Cup. It unites a country, and that’s very special to be a part of something like that.
Lastly, Udinese are currently 10th in the Serie A table and are chasing their first top-half finish in 13 years. What are going to be the biggest make-or-breaks for the Zebrette as they approach this home stretch?
We need to maintain our humility towards the games, we need to keep working hard, and if we can also play with the same confidence without being too arrogant and relaxed, then I think we can really finish this season in a good way.
Interview edited for clarity and brevity.
