SWEDEN WORLD CUP HISTORY

All things considered, most countries outside of Brazil, Germany, Italy and Argentina would love to have Sweden's World Cup history. The Swedes have never won the coveted trophy, but they finished in fourth place in 1938, third in 1950, second to a Pele-led Brazil side in 1958 and third at USA '94. (Just as an aside, the Swedes also captured the Olympic gold medal in 1948 and the bronze four years later.)

Their best performance came as World Cup hosts in 1958, when they finished second to the legendary Brazilian side, losing 5-2 in the final.

The Swedes were the surprise side of the 1994 World Cup, finishing third with a 3-1-3 mark. They were eliminated in the semifinals by Brazil, 1-0, although the game was much more one-sided for the winners than the final score indicated.

In 2002, the Swedes won that competition's "Group of Death" (England, Nigeria and Argentina were the other teams) and reached the second round, falling to upstart Senegal in extra time, 2-1.