Switzerland will target nothing less than a victory in their 2026 FIFA World Cup Group B clash against Qatar, set for the Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California, on the evening of Saturday 13 June. Kick-off at 9pm CAT.
FORM
Switzerland warmed up for the World Cup with a 4-1 win over Jordan on 31 May and a 1-1 draw with Australia last weekend. In the latter match, Rossocrociati (the Red Crosses) opened the scoring via Dan Ndoye, but conceded an equaliser to the Socceroos’ Tete Yengi.
The European nation has appeared in 12 previous World Cups, with their best showing coming in 1934 and 1954 when they reached the quarterfinals. At Qatar 2022, Switzerland reached the round of 16 before suffering a 6-1 thrashing at the hands of Portugal.
Qatar’s warm-up programme has seen them suffer a 1-0 loss to Ireland in a friendly on 28 May in Dublin, as well as a goalless stalemate against El Salvador in Los Angeles last weekend.
The Maroon One will be making their second World Cup appearance. Their debut as hosts in 2022 saw them lose all three group stage matches, but they have since won the AFC Asian Cup for a second successive time and enter the global tournament as Asian champions.
WHAT THE TEAMS ARE SAYING
Switzerland captain Granit Xhaka has called on his team to up their game after the draw against Australia: “You can't play like this, otherwise you go home after three games. We have to wake up. The 1-1 draw was an invitation for everyone to wake up. There were things that weren't good this week and that affects the game. If you work hard, it shows on the pitch. That wasn't the case this week.”
Qatar coach Julen Lopetegui was left satisfied by their draw with El Salvador: “It was a tough game. The conditions were very humid, but that’s exactly what we will face when the World Cup begins. It was important for us to experience that environment and get used to it as quickly as possible.
"We played against a team that faced Republic of Korea four days ago and only lost 1-0. They competed very well and are much more accustomed to these conditions. Even so, I think we put in a very good effort.”
HEAD-TO-HEAD
In head-to-head terms, Switzerland and Qatar have met in just one previous match: an international friendly in Lugano in November 2018 which the Asian side won 1-0 thanks to a late goal from Akram Afif.
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