Sweden’s Mattias Svanberg makes World Cup history against Tunisia

Sweden beat Tunisia 5-1 in the final match of this Sunday’s World Cup 2026 action, in a game that also marked the tournament debut of the city of Monterrey and its stadium.

The match stood out not only for the scoreline, but also for the setting: it was the first game of the tournament to be played in Monterrey. Fans witnessed a historic night as World Cup 2026 added a vibrant new venue, accompanied by a heavy victory for the Europeans.

Mathias Svanberg makes history

The standout figure was Sweden’s Mathias Svanberg, who wrote his name into World Cup history. His performance not only helped seal the win, but also broke a record that had stood since 2002.

Svanberg achieved something extraordinary: he scored just 17 seconds after coming on, making it one of the fastest goals in World Cup history by a substitute. With his first touch of the ball, he showed ruthless efficiency and changed the course of the match.

The Wolfsburg midfielder appeared in the box after a free kick and struck a powerful right-footed shot into the net. Although the move was checked by VAR for a possible offside, the goal was eventually allowed, sparking Swedish celebrations.

The ranking of fastest substitute goals

According to FIFA’s official records, the fastest-scoring substitutes in World Cup history now rank as follows: Mathias Svanberg (Sweden vs Tunisia, 2026) with 17 seconds, followed by Richard Morales (Uruguay vs Senegal, 2002) with 16 seconds and Ebbe Sand (Denmark vs Nigeria, 1998) with 21 seconds.

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