World Cup qualifying news, Potter’s big Sweden bow and more – matchday live

8.57am GMT Despite recent setbacks, Potter still seems to have a fair amount of goodwill among the neutrals. The Sweden job definitely feels like a more natural fit after he struggled to put the mangled jigsaw pieces together at Stamford Bridge and the London Stadium. AndrewGrantRobertson 15 November 2025 8:39am Good luck to Potter. A decent guy, methinks That said, do we reckon he’s kept his tracksuits from Chelsea and West Ham? I think I’d be quietly putting them on Vinted. Shaaamie 15 November 2025 8:28am That Graham Potter is beginning to amass quite a collection of tracksuits … 8.49am GMT There’s a slate of intriguing international matches to come today, not least Graham Potter’s debut as Sweden head coach. It’s been a bruising few years for Potter after his ill-fitting spells at Chelsea and West Ham but, as Nick Ames points out, he will have a sense of belonging after returning to the country where he built his reputation with Östersund: Related: Graham Potter poised to restore Sweden’s spirit and aim for World Cup 8.40am GMT Looking for more early morning reading? Here’s a selection, from Barney Ronay on Neymar to David Hytner’s chat with Han Willhoft-King and Suzanne Wrack in conversation with Millie Bright. Related: Witnesses of Neymar’s sad decline hope for one final twist in his career’s brutal narrative arc | Barney Ronay Related: The teenager who quit Manchester City for Oxford University: ‘I felt I could do more’ Related: Millie Bright: ‘If you can make someone’s life better, why would you not?’ 8.36am GMT What else has been going on, then? Thomas Tuchel has been talking about the rationale behind his team selection for England’s 2-0 win against Serbia at Wembley, urging those on the bench to channel their anger into fighting spirit which can benefit the team. He has also addressed the Bellingham Discourse, albeit reluctantly: Related: Thomas Tuchel wants England substitutes to channel anger into World Cup victory 8.28am GMT Meanwhile, despite shocking everyone by racking up four wins in qualifying, the Faroe Islands’ 3-1 loss to Croatia has ended their hopes of a World Cup fairytale. Shame, that, as it would have been a lot of fun. 8.23am GMT There was bad news and good news for Northern Ireland last night. The bad news: they lost 1-0 to Slovakia in injury time thanks to a goal Michael O’Neill, the manager, felt “should clearly have been disallowed”, ending their hopes of progressing from World Cup qualifying Group A. The good news: they still nabbed a qualifying playoff place via the Nations League after Croatia beat the Faroe Islands. In other words, they may not be going to the World Cup, but they aren’t not going to the World Cup, at least as things stand. Make sense? 8.13am GMT Preamble All right, all right, all right! Welcome to matchday live, where we’ll be building up to the day’s football, running through all the big stories and generally having a Nice Time. Readers, what are your plans for the day? What’s caught your eye during the international break? Anyone planning an epic League One, League Two or non-league away day? Let me know in the comments. Otherwise, let’s get the ball rolling with a look back at last night’s World Cup qualifying action: Related: World Cup 2026 qualifying roundup: Northern Ireland in playoffs despite loss Updated at 8.13am GMT