Based on TVmatchen’s analysis of Google search data ahead of the 2026 World Cup, this list follows the 12 names shown in the Swedish ranking excerpt, starting with No. 12 and ending with No. 1.

12. Mohamed Salah

Mohamed Salah starts this ranking with 12,800 average monthly searches in Sweden, with his search trend down 33% from the previous year. Even at the bottom of this 12-name cut, that is still a strong number, which suggests his star power remains durable in the Swedish market. He may not be driving the conversation in Sweden the way the local names are, but he still stays visible enough to make the list.

11. Victor Lindelöf

Victor Lindelöf is next with 12,900 searches per month, also down year on year at -45%. He sits only just above Salah, which makes him one of the tighter margins in this ranking. The drop suggests lower momentum than some of the other Swedish names, but he still remains part of the core search picture heading into the tournament.

10. Lionel Messi

Lionel Messi comes in 10th on 13,900 monthly searches, with a year-on-year trend of -18%. That is lower than some might expect for a player of his stature, but it still keeps him inside Sweden’s top 10. The most likely reading is that Messi’s baseline interest remains huge, even if the sharpest search spikes right now belong to players with a stronger Sweden angle or fresher momentum.

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9. Kylian Mbappé

Kylian Mbappé ranks ninth with 14,200 searches per month, down 33% from the year before. He is still one of the global faces of the tournament, but in Sweden he trails several names with either a local connection or stronger recent search momentum. Even so, staying in the top 10 underlines just how high his floor remains.

8. Erling Haaland

Erling Haaland is eighth with 18,100 monthly searches, and his trend is up 83%, which makes him one of the stronger risers in this group. That increase stands out because several of the other global stars above and below him are moving in the opposite direction. In Sweden, that suggests Haaland is carrying both superstar appeal and strong regional relevance.

7. Neymar

Neymar sits seventh on 27,100 searches per month, with a flat trend of 0%. That makes him one of the steadier names in the ranking: no dramatic surge, but no major drop either. In practical terms, it points to a player whose search value in Sweden is already established and still holding firm.

6. Lucas Bergvall

Lucas Bergvall is sixth with 30,000 monthly searches, up 123% year on year. That is one of the biggest growth figures in this 12-name group and shows that his profile is moving quickly. He is not yet in the Isak or Gyökeres tier on raw search volume, but the direction of travel is very strong.

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5. Graham Potter

Graham Potter is fifth with 33,100 searches per month, and his trend explodes to +1642%. He is the only coach on the list, which also makes him the outlier in this player-heavy list. That surge suggests the managerial storyline has become one of the biggest search drivers in Sweden ahead of the World Cup.

4. Cristiano Ronaldo

Cristiano Ronaldo is fourth in Sweden with 35,600 monthly searches, even though his local trend is down 45%. What makes that especially interesting is that he still tops the global ranking with more than 10 million searches per month, so Sweden is something of an exception compared with the worldwide picture. In other words, Ronaldo remains massive overall, but not unbeatable in the Swedish market.

3. Lamine Yamal

Lamine Yamal is third with 60,500 searches per month, despite a -33% trend. That still leaves him well clear of everyone outside the top two, which says a lot about his current pull. TVmatchen also notes that Yamal tops the ranking in Norway, Denmark and Finland, so Sweden is one of the few Nordic markets where he does not sit first.

2. Viktor Gyökeres

Viktor Gyökeres takes second place with 90,500 monthly searches, and his trend jumps 173% compared with the previous year. He has increased the most among the leading players in Sweden, and the article links that interest to his strong recent season and his status as one of Europe’s hottest forwards. He may not be No. 1, but in terms of momentum he is arguably the biggest story in the ranking.

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1. Alexander Isak

Alexander Isak finishes first with 110,000 average monthly searches in Sweden, even though his trend is -18% year on year. TVmatchen says he and Gyökeres are the two hottest strikers in Europe right now, and that Swedish search behavior reflects exactly that. He is not only Sweden’s most searched World Cup star in this list, he also tops the chart in Iceland, which underlines how wide his pull has become across the region.

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