Boos and insults as Sweden’s World Cup hopes in tatters, as Celtic’s Benjamin Nygren left powerless

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There could be a fair few Celtic players having the summer off when the 2026 World Cup takes place.

It’s not where you want to be as a professional player because there isn’t anything bigger than playing at a World Cup, with the 2026 edition set to take place in the United States of America, Canada and Mexico.

But a few Celtic players are at risk of not making the final cut of their respective squads, or in Benjamin Nygren’s case, his nation not even earning a golden ticket.

That’s because on Friday evening, Sweden, despite having star-studded names in attack and on the bench, suffered another blow in their hopes of reaching world football’s biggest stage.

• READ MORE: Scotland’s World Cup qualifier win vs Greece compared to famous Celtic night under Neil Lennon

Benjamin Nygren unused as Sweden’s World Cup hopes in tatters amid boos and insults

There were over 50,000 supporters packed into the Strawberry Arena in Stockholm, and they weren’t a happy bunch as Switzerland secured a 2-0 win against Sweden.

Nygren can count himself lucky because he didn’t have to suffer the verbal beating some players took, particularly his international manager, Jon Dahl Tomasson.

Despite having British-record transfer, Alexander Isak, starting, alongside Arsenal’s big-money purchase, Viktor Gyokeres, not only did the Swedes lose, but they failed to score.

There were boos and insults thrown at the manager, including a banner calling for his resignation, according to Bluewin, as Nygren watched on from the bench, powerless.

You would probably think. Why on earth did Nygren not come on the field, but another big-money signing, Newcastle United’s Anthony Elanga, wasn’t even used?!

That puts Sweden, who last reached the 2018 World Cup, bottom of Group B after three matches, three points behind second-placed Kosovo and a further eight points behind the Swiss.

Gustaf Lagerbielke, the unwanted Celtic man…

Gustaf Lagerbielke recently played at Celtic Park, as his Braga side beat the Hoops in that pretty woeful Europa League encounter before the October international break.

Whilst Lagerbielke wasn’t a wanted man by Brendan Rodgers, and hardly used during his days at Celtic, it’s a different story altogether in Braga and for the Sweden national team.

This was Lagerbielke’s first competitive start for his country, after playing in three friendly matches, as it’s interesting how his career is panning out after leaving Celtic Park.