Later today, Qatar and Switzerland will meet in San Francisco.
Julen Lopetegui is back in a World Cup – and hopes to stay a little longer this time. “We think Qatar can surprise, just like the United States in Mauricio Pochettino and the opposite of England in Thomas Tuchel, they have a manager who can lift the team above those who are ‘natural’.
Lopetegui’s previous World Cup experience ended before it had even begun. He was fired as Spain’s national team manager just two days before the team’s opening match in Russia in 2018. The reason: He had accepted the job as Real Madrid coach after the championship – without informing the Spanish Football Federation. Immediately he was out and on his way home.
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Now he is back with different expectations, this time as boss of Qatar – a team that qualified for the first time after hosting in 2022.
Lopetegui acknowledges that the small nation from the Middle East is the underdog in Group B, which also includes Saturday’s opponents Switzerland, Canada and Bosnia and Herzegovina. But he uses that as motivation.
To the newspaper AS , he said:
“We are aware of what we are. I think the starting point is to accept that. All countries that see Qatar drawn in their group will be satisfied. For us, this means that we do not lower our heads – on the contrary.
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Lopetegui dismisses claims that the group is weak and is quick to highlight the strength of his opponents.
He adds:
“Switzerland has been one of the strongest teams in Europe for the last eight years. Canada is arguably the best team in North America – they have clearly stood out against the USA and Mexico in recent years. And Bosnia beat Wales away from home and also beat Italy. These are opponents who have all the prerequisites to be big favorites ahead of us.
It will be a tough start for Qatar against a Swiss team that is now participating in its sixth World Cup in a row.
Switzerland have reached the last eight in four of the last five championships. The squad is full of experience, led by captain Granit Xhaka, and with players such as Gregor Kobel, Manuel Akanji, Ricardo Rodriguez and Remo Freuler.
Coach Hakan Yakin says to FIFA.com:
“As a coach, it’s fantastic to have players of such calibre – both in terms of character, mentality and experience. They take great responsibility and have key roles in their clubs. You really see the difference in quality, intensity and standard of training – the way they make their teammates better, the way they make them stronger, and the way they lead by example to the young guys day after day.
Midfielder Johan Manzambi (20) is one to keep an eye on, while Leeds winger Noah Okafor will be looking to build on an excellent first season in the Premier League.
Team updates ahead of Qatar vs Switzerland
Qatar will field a full squad to choose from. The biggest attack threat is called Akram Afif.
Yakin has some important choices to make in attack. Breel Embolo and Zeki Amdouni are fighting for the striker spot, while Okafor will have to settle for the bench if Yakin chooses Sevilla’s Rubén Vargas.
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Predicted line-ups
Qatar: Abunada; Al-Oui, Khoukhi, Pedro Miguel, Ahmed; Laye, Fathi, Gaber; Abdurisag, Afif, Edmilson
Switzerland: Kobel; Zakaria, Akanji, Elvedi, Rodriguez; Xhaka, Freuler; Vargas, Manzambi, Ndoye; Embolo
Key figures before the match
- Qatar finished last in their group at the 2022 World Cup. They lost all three games, conceding seven goals and scoring just one.
- Among teams that played at least ten matches in the Asian World Cup qualifiers until 2026, Qatar’s matches had the most goals per game (3.61). Of the Asian teams that reached the World Cup, Qatar lost the most matches (5).
- Switzerland last reached the quarter-finals of the World Cup in 1954, when the championship was played on home soil. Since then, they have never made it past the second round.
- Switzerland is one of only two European teams – along with France – to have reached the playoffs in each of the last six major championships (World Cup + European Championship).
- Breel Embolo, Switzerland’s top scorer in qualifying with four goals, is one of only five players to score more goals in both the 2022 and Euro 2024 qualifiers. The others are Harry Kane, Kai Havertz, Niclas Füllkrug and Cody Gakpo.
