Tunisia right-back Moutaz Neffati was born in Norrkoping, came through the youth system at IFK Norrkoping, and currently features for the side relegated from Allsvenskan to the second-tier Superettan for the 2026 season.
That makes him the only player picked for the World Cup to ply their trade in Sweden, other than Blagult's own Kristoffer Nordfeldt (AIK), Taha Ali (Malmo) and Elliot Stroud (Mjallby).
Neffati even represented Sweden at under-19 and under-21 levels, winning a cap for the higher age group as recently as 2025, the same year he switched his allegiance to Tunisia, the country of his heritage.
The 21-year-old made his debut in Tunisia's final World Cup qualifier - a 3-0 win over Namibia in October 2025 - before two more caps at the FIFA Arab Cup in December. His fourth and fifth appearances came against fellow World Cup participants Haiti in Canada in the March international window, around the same time that Sweden grabbed the final spot in Group F by winning the playoffs.
He was travelling on the Norrkoping team bus when it was announced that he would be part of Sabri Lamouchi's squad going to the World Cup: "I can hardly believe it! It’s hard to take it in,” he exclaimed.
Whether Neffati gets on the pitch against the country of his birth at Estadio BBVA in the early hours of 15th June (CEST) remains to be seen. He did not feature in either of the two warm-up matches for The Eagles of Carthage earlier this month - defeats to Austria and Belgium.
He has featured more prominently for Norrkoping in 2026, scoring twice in 11 appearances in all competitions - including finding the net against top-tier GAIS in Svenska Cupen - and he has stepped in to captain the side on occasion this season.
The meeting of the two nations he holds citizenship for will be a proud moment in the full-back's young career, but many fans being priced out of what should be a joyous occasion is what is on Neffati's mind.
"I know that many people don't have that opportunity in Tunisia. It's very expensive for many Swedes too, to get there and then to Dallas and then to Houston," he said, before revealing that his parents will not be making the trip to North America.
Follow Tunisia vs Sweden and every World Cup match on Flashscore.