Alexander Isak is the latest Liverpool player to exit the World Cup at the round-of-32 stage, with the striker now set to report for pre-season later this month.
It is a major boost for Andoni Iraola, but undoubtedly a blow for Isak and his country.
After scraping into the tournament via the playoffs, Sweden advanced as one of the eight best-performing sides to finish third in their groups.
But having set up a knockout tie against favourites France, the writing was on the wall for Graham Potter’s side – and Tuesday night brought a 3-0 defeat.
Kylian Mbappe scored twice to move clear of Miroslav Klose into second in the all-time World Cup goalscorers list, with Liverpool target Bradley Barcola adding another in a comprehensive win for France.
Per FotMob, in his 89 minutes on the pitch Isak had just 21 touches of the ball – the fewest of any starter – and was limited to two shots on goal with one on target.
He won two of his seven duels (28.6%) and committed three fouls in a frustrating end to an otherwise productive World Cup.
Isak comes away from the United States having scored one and assisted three in four games for Sweden, though perhaps more encouraging is the fact he played a total of 359 minutes over 16 days.
In the entirety of last season, Isak clocked 1,032 minutes on the pitch for Liverpool, averaging 46.9 minutes per game.
Why early World Cup exit can benefit Alexander Isak
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - Tuesday, September 16, 2025: Liverpool's Alexander Isak and Wataru Endo during a training session at the AXA Training Centre ahead of the UEFA Champions League match between Liverpool FC and Atlético de Madrid. (Photo by Jessica Hornby/Propaganda)
After such a disappointing first campaign at Anfield that saw him arrive short of fitness and then suffer a number of injuries, this is a crucial summer for the No. 9.
That should be aided by his exit from the World Cup, with an expected three-week break then seeing him link up with his Liverpool team-mates during their pre-season tour of the US.
There, he will also link up with a new coaching staff led by Iraola, with a new outlook on his fitness and the way he will be used in attack.
Virgil Van Dijk of Netherlands and team mates applaud the fans after the FIFA World Cup 2026 Group F match between Netherlands and Japan at Dallas Stadium (Credit: Craig Mercer/ Alamy Live News)
Virgil van Dijk, Ryan Gravenberch, Cody Gakpo and Florian Wirtz were also knocked out at the round of 32 and should join the squad when they arrive in Nashville.
It leaves only three Liverpool players still at the World Cup, with Alisson already ensured of a place in the last 16 after Brazil’s 2-1 win over Japan.
Victor Munoz‘s Spain will play Austria on Thursday night before Alexis Mac Allister and Argentina face Cape Verde on Friday.