This is the first ever encounter between Switzerland and Cameroon. It’s also only the second time that Switzerland will face African opposition at the Fifa World Cup – they beat Togo 2-0 in the group stages of the 2006 tournament.
Switzerland have qualified for their 12th Fifa World Cup, finishing top of their group ahead of Uefa European Championship holders Italy. It’s their fifth in a row, setting their longest run of consecutive appearances in the tournament.
Switzerland are unbeaten in their opening game in each of their five appearances at the Fifa World Cup (W2 D3), since losing 5-0 against Germany in 1966.
Switzerland are part of a group of only three European teams – Belgium and France are the others – to have reached the knockout stages in each of the last four major international tournaments (WC + Euro).
Switzerland have topped their group only once previously at the Fifa World Cup, it was in 2006. That was the year they became the only team to date not to concede a single goal at a World Cup (4 games, 0 goals conceded).
Cameroon have qualified for their eighth Fifa World Cup, the most by an African team. They have also played more matches at the Fifa World Cup than any other African nation (23), while only Nigeria (23) have scored more goals at the tournament among African sides than Cameroon (18).
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Cameroon have lost each of their last seven games at the Fifa World Cup. Only Mexico have ever lost more games in a row in the competition’s history (9 between 1930 & 1958).
Xherdan Shaqiri has been directly involved in 48 per cent of Switzerland’s 23 goals over the last four major tournaments, scoring eight times and delivering three assists.
Vincent Aboubakar scored eight goals for Cameroon in the 2021 African Cup of Nations, the most by any player in a single edition since Ndaye Mulamba with Zaire in 1974 (9). However, Aboubakar has failed to register a single shot on target in each of his four previous appearances in the Fifa World Cup.
Cameroon’s head coach Rigobert Song is tied for most red cards at the Fifa World Cup as a player, alongside Zinedine Zidane (2 each). Song appeared in the third-most games for Cameroon at the tournament as a player (nine), behind François Omam-Biyik (11) & Roger Milla (10).