Sweden produced the result of the group stage at London 2026, edging China 3–2 in a five-match thriller to top the group and inflict on the defending champions a defeat they had not suffered at these championships since the 2000 final.
China brought back world No. 1 Wang Chuqin, and he did his part — opening with a 3–0 win over Anton Källberg and later levelling the tie at 2–2 with a straight-games win over Elias Ranefur. But the Swedes found answers everywhere else.
How the tie turned
Ranefur stunned Lin Shidong from 7–9 down in the decider, winning it 11–9 with a mix of flicks and backhand variation. Truls Möregård then edged Liang Jingkun in another five-set encounter, saving the decider 12–10 to put Sweden 2–1 up. After Wang restored parity, Källberg returned to beat Lin Shidong 3–1 and seal a famous win.
China had not lost a single tie at the championships since the 2000 final — Sweden ended that run in front of a roaring London crowd.
It was a back-to-back jolt: the Korea Republic upset followed on Day 5. China would recover to win both team titles, but for one night the script belonged to Sweden.