Sweden and Czech Republic both fire coaches due to poor results in World Cup qualifiers

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Sweden announced the termination of Jon Dahl Tomasson's contract. This was an inevitable decision in the context of Sweden's terrible performance under Tomasson's command. They played 4 matches in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers but won only 1 point and finished bottom of the group.

Even in both times meeting Kosovo, Sweden lost both times. The team had bright faces like Alexander Isak, Anthony Elanga or Viktor Gyokeres... but what Tomasson brought to Sweden was only utter disappointment.

The decision to sack Tomasson was even considered too late. With only 1 point, Sweden has almost no chance of qualifying for the 2026 World Cup. They must win both remaining matches and hope Kosovo loses both matches to have a chance to get into the play-off group. This possibility is really very unlikely.

Coach Hasek lost his job after losing 1-2 to Faroe

Meanwhile, last night the Czech Football Association (FACR) announced the dismissal of national team coach Ivan Hasek. This is the "death sentence" that Mr. Hasek received after the humiliating 1-2 loss to the Faroe Islands.

Hasek was heavily criticized after the 1-5 loss to Croatia in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers. But after that, the team he led did not see much change. The Czech Republic still struggled to play well. The draw with Saudi Arabia and most recently the loss to the Faroe Islands was the last straw that caused Mr. Hasek to lose his job.

According to the Czech Football Federation, they will first appoint an interim coach to lead the team in the match against Gibraltar in November. This is an opportunity for them to keep their play-off position. In the final round, if they win against Gibraltar, the Czech Republic will finish 2nd in Group L and secure a play-off spot regardless of the result of the match between the Faroe Islands and Croatia.