Doha [Qatar], June 13: Qatar will look to shrug the weight off their shoulders when they take on Switzerland in their Group B match of FIFA World Cup 2026 at San Francisco Bay Area Stadium in Santa Clara, California, on Saturday (10pm Doha Time).
Al Annabi return to the global stage as back-to-back Asian champions but with a challenge to bury the ghosts of their dismal debut as hosts of the 2022 tournament. Succumbing to the expectations of home pressure, Qatar lost all their three matches and scoring once. But now, after bouncing back to defend their Asian Cup title and qualifying for the World Cup on merit, they are keen to prove their worth on the global stage.
Adding to the difficulty however would be the form of the Swiss, who are unbeaten in competitive matches since late 2024 following an impressive Euros run, and looking to make a mark in their sixth successive World Cup.
Qatar's Spanish coach Julen Lopetegui has been making Qatar believe in themselves and to be ready to face the tough.
"We have to accept the fact that we will play against Switzerland first, and have to be ready to do our best against a very strong team," he has been stressing the fact. "We know our real reality, and that the competitors are better than us, but this does not mean surrendering ... it requires us to be ready in order to achieve our ambition and dream of being a strong contender."
Spearheaded by twice Asian Player of the Year Akram Afif, Qatar also have some other stars who can came their place under the sun in the likes of Almoez Ali, Edmilson Jr, Pedro Miguel and the previous World Cup goal-scorer Mohammed Muntari.
But Switzerland are in confident mood, as they should be, having been unbeaten in qualifying while conceding just two goals. They have stuck largely with the same group from the last World Cup and will include emerging talent like Dan Ndoye and versatile newcomer Johan Manzambi in attack, supported by the dependable Granit Xhaka, Manuel Akanji and Ricardo Rodriguez, who have 365 caps combined.
Switzerland's record in reaching World Cups is matched only in Europe by Germany, France, Spain, England and Portugal, yet a quarter-final has eluded them for seven decades with a string of round-of-16 exits.
Switzerland would hope to advance from the group with ease, though their coach Murat Yakin is taking Qatar seriously, considering them "the big unknown" while keen to avoid an opening-match upset like the one eventual champions Argentina endured in 2022.
"Qatar is a very serious opponent. We can't let what Argentina experienced against Arabia four years ago happen to us," he said. "In the end, tournaments like this also thrive on their surprises."
Following the Switzerland clash, Qatar will face co-hosts Canada on June 19 in Vancouver before taking on Bosnia and Herzegovina in Seattle on June 24.
Source: Qatar Tribune