Dejan Kulusevski Returns to Sweden Lineup in Nations League Victory

Dejan Kulusevski made his long-awaited return to the Swedish national team on Saturday, appearing as a substitute in a 3–2 Nations League victory over Bosnia-Herzegovina at Strawberry Arena.

The 26-year-old Tottenham Hotspur forward entered the match in the 61st minute, replacing Anthony Elanga, marking his first international appearance in nearly two years.

Kulusevski’s previous international appearance was a 6–0 victory against Azerbaijan in the UEFA Nations League C-division on November 19, 2024, a match in which he scored two goals.

The appearance ended a 500-day absence from professional football for Kulusevski, who suffered a severe knee injury in the spring of 2025. Over the past month, he has made four substitute appearances for his club side Tottenham in the Premier League, having returned to action for the club a little over three weeks ago.

While the team held a comfortable 3–0 lead at halftime, the match became more difficult after the break as Bosnia-Herzegovina narrowed the deficit shortly after Kulusevski’s introduction.

“They were pushing a lot, so it was not an easy situation,” Kulusevski told Dagens Nyheter. “Sometimes you just have to survive in football. The most important thing was that we won the match.”

Swedish captain Victor Nilsson Lindelöf welcomed the return, stating it was “great to have him back in a national team jersey” and noting the positive reception from the home crowd.

“I am proud to come back and play for this country again,” Kulusevski said.

He also highlighted seeing his two-year-old daughter on the stands as his favorite moment of the day, noting that he was able to see and wave to her during the warm-up.

While Kulusevski reported no issues with his knee, he acknowledged that he is still adapting to the pace of top-level competition. “Training is not like a match,” he told Dagens Nyheter. “I have to get used to the match tempo. It goes a little faster than in training.”

Sweden completes its Nations League group stage schedule with a match against Poland on Thursday. The team’s final lineup and rotation strategy for that contest have yet to be confirmed by the coaching staff.