Graham Potter has revealed he will sing Sweden's national anthem on the touchline at the World Cup.
Former Brighton, Chelsea, and West Ham boss Potter has led Sweden to the 2026 tournament in the US, Canada and Mexico.
Sweden manager Graham Potter
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Potter took over the Sweden national team in NovemberCredit: AFP
The 51-year-old is the only English-born manager leading a country at the World Cup.
The question about whether managers representing different countries to their birth singing the national anthem always crops up.
Thomas Tuchel has previously spoken about why he will not sing ‘God Save The King’ - the UK national anthem - while in his role as England manager.
Speaking before the World Cup, Potter said, who is fluent in Swedish: “You go on to YouTube and you’ll see me singing it.
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“Everybody has to make a choice, like I said, and for me, in that moment when I'm in Sweden and I'm representing the Swedish national team, then of course I feel part of the team, I feel part of the country, and it's nice for me to do that.
“But I'm not saying that everybody should do that, of course.”
When asked what his emotions were when he donned the Sweden gear and heard the national anthem for the first time, he said: “Surprisingly, really in your stomach, it’s surprising. And I think because you're aware with the national team that you're doing something for more than you. It's a bigger thing.
“The players and everybody connected with the team, if they weren't there, they would be supporting the team. That's the feeling. So you can feel the intensity and the emotion is different, and I think that's what's beautiful about it.”
Potter has plenty of affinity to Sweden having managed Ostersund for seven years between 2011 and 2018.
He enjoyed huge success at the club, leading them from the fourth tier and into the top flight.
Sweden manager Graham Potter
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Potter will be the only English-born manager at the World CupCredit: Getty
Ostersund also qualified for the Europa League and famously beat Arsenal 2-1 at the Emirates.
When asked if he feels a bit Swedish, he said: “Well, I feel very Swedish when I'm working, very Swedish.
“I look a bit Swedish! Yeah, because my kids were born in Sweden, two of them were.
“I had seven unbelievable years there, memories that'll just stay with me for life. I've got an incredible amount to be grateful to the country for, the opportunity I had there.
“ It was my home, for seven years it was my home. And now I'm working for the Swedish FA, and I'm the head coach of the national team, so I feel very Swedish.”
Sweden at the World Cup
Sweden kick off their World Cup campaign on Monday, June 15, against Tunisia in Group F.
Arsenal and Sweden striker Viktor Gyokeres
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Gyokeres scored vital goals to send Sweden to the World CupCredit: Getty
They follow this up with a game against Netherlands on June 20 with their final group match against Japan on June 26.
They got to the US, Canada and Mexico the hard way, having struggled under Jon Dahl Tomasson before he was sacked last October.
Having taken just one point from their first four games, Potter was drafted in to perform a miracle.
The Nations League provided a route back into the qualifying process - then beat Ukraine and Poland to book their place in the World Cup.
Arsenal’s Viktor Gyokeres scored a hat-trick against Ukraine and then the winner against Poland.
Therefore they made it to the tournament having taken just two points from six qualifying games.
Potter said: “Well, I can’t deny it was an unbelievable evening, for sure.
“When you take the job and from November go, OK, you’ve got in your head that it’s going to come down to two games in March, a play-off, to go to the World Cup.
Sweden manager Graham Potter
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Potter's Sweden face a tough group alongside Netherlands, Japan, and TunisiaCredit: Getty
“You think about it and go, OK, that’s big.
“And then it’s not until you actually go through that process and get to the point where you’ve got the two games and you experience the play-off, so you play Ukraine first and think OK, if we lose that game, we’ve got a home game against a team that lost the other play-off game, in front of probably 300 people, both teams know they are not going to the World Cup, deal with that.
“So (you’ve got) the pressure of what could happen negatively and also you’ve got the pressure of getting to the next game, a play-off game in front of your own people.
“And then obviously to win the Ukraine game to set up the Poland game.
“And then even then I didn’t realise how many times you get a chance to play a play-off game in front of your own people to go to the World Cup.
“Like one game, boofff. As an event, it’s unbelievable.
“The country stops, everyone is watching the game, as you can imagine. Imagine if that happened in any country.
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“Then to win the game, and for what it means to Swedish football to qualify for the World Cup from an economic perspective, an aspirational football, to the kids, inspiring people to play football, all those things… to be part of that and to experience that, is just unbelievable.”