In a World Cup full of underdog stories and tales of persistence, FC Dallas defender Herman Johansson can count himself among its most improbable ones.
Born in a small town along Sweden’s eastern coastline, Johansson grew up playing for local clubs alongside his friends, eventually reaching the semipro level with Friska Viljor FC. There, Johansson remained, competing in Sweden’s amateur divisions well into his early 20s. If they’re honest, few players in those leagues at that age (especially ones from major European nations) still dream of reaching a World Cup. The required jump is steep and far from straightforward.
Still, Johansson held onto that dream, though it wasn’t yet a vivid one.
“It's crazy to say it was possible, but I mean, you always have dreams,” Johansson said. “If it’s gonna be true or not, you never know. But for me, almost every dream has come true so far. At the time, it was more like a dream than actually thinking it would happen.”
Johansson’s took his first leap with a transfer to Mjällby AIF in the Allsvenskan, Sweden’s top division. Tasked with adapting to pro soccer for the first time, the inexperienced Johansson only featured seven times that season, without a single start. Over the next four years, though, Johansson grew into his wingback role and saw both his and Mjällby’s fortunes soar.
Last year, Johansson started nearly every game and added seven goals plus six assists to help Mjällby capture its first-ever Allsvenskan title – setting the league’s all-time points record along the way. His standout season earned a transfers to FC Dallas as well as a maiden call-up for Sweden at age 28. There, he earned his first cap as a substitute in World Cup qualification.
While Johansson’s late-career international debut came against the odds, so did Sweden’s qualification for the World Cup itself. The Nordic nation finished last in its qualification group without a single win, yet still had one more chance via the UEFA play-off, which it gained entry to courtesy of a strong showing in the UEFA Nations League the year prior.
Once in the UEFA play-off, Sweden needed to win two games – a semifinal and final, with a place in the World Cup on the line. Faced with a do-or-die game against Ukraine, Sweden head coach Graham Potter called upon Johansson, who had just 24 minutes of prior international experience under his belt, to start at wingback.
Sweden prevailed 3-1 thanks to a hat trick from Arsenal ace Viktor Gyökeres. In the final, which Johansson missed to due illness, the Swedes defeated Robert Lewandowski’s Poland. Sweden was going to the World Cup.
But Johansson wasn’t. At least not initially. When head coach Potter announced his 26-man squad in May, Johansson wasn’t included. Instead, he was listed as the “27th player”, who’d join up with the team for its pre-tournament friendlies but wouldn’t take part in the tournament. The dream was that close.
As happens in dreams, though, things took a sudden and unexpected turn. On May 30, 12 days before the World Cup kicked off, Johansson was added to Sweden’s roster to replace the injured Emil Holm. The 27th man was now the 26th, as good as first. The dream had finally materialized.
“I'm excited, it’s huge. It’s a big, big honor,” Johansson said.
From amateur soccer to a record-setting Allsvenskan title, a transfer to FC Dallas and a last-minute World Cup call-up, Johansson’s 20s have been a complete whirlwind. If he takes the pitch on the world stage this month, his dream could have the perfect ending.
“I gotta remind myself every now and then that it has been a crazy journey these last couple of years,” he said. “I just try to stay grounded and stay humble. It's hard to feel all the emotions when you're in the zone, and you have to focus and be there. But in a few years, I can probably zoom out and just be super proud that I was here.”
Sweden and Johansson face a tough group alongside the Netherlands (ranked 8th in the world), Japan (18th) and Tunisia (45th). But knowing both his and his country’s path to this moment, you can’t count them out.
“We go to win every game, so that would be to win the World Cup. There's no point going to a tournament to just be there or just to have fun, we're here to win every game, so that's our mentality.”
