Key events
27 min: Will that break change things? Qatar go long, their goalie hoofing the ball up to Abdurisag. Afif? Not seen much of him yet.
25 min: Matthias gets in touch: “Genuinely, how is that not offside? I will be using this decision (and the lack of replays) as further evidence of Fifa’s untrustworthiness and corruption next time a decision goes against Canada.”
Our drinks break is accompanied by a drum session that sounds like Santana’s percussion section falling down a hill. Then comes the world’s worst record: House Of Pain.
24 min: Another chance for Switzerland to boom in a set piece. It’s knocked behind and we have a drinks break, as the first quarter ends. Why not change ends?
23 min: Joe Pearson gets in touch: “Even though Alan Parsons is English, the use of “Sirius” is nearly as American as (venture capitalism) apple pie, having been used by the Chicago Bulls as walkup music since the Jordan years.”
21 min: Christina Unkel, ITV’s VAR expert, says the tech came up with the decision. She doesn’t appear to wish to question its fallibility. As she does so, Zakaria has a shot saved. Abunada, by the by, was booked for his foul for the penalty.
19 min: Edmilson Junior is the son of Edmilson, a Brazilian player, though not the the 2002 Brazilian World Cup winner. Qatar are rueing that early chance.
18 min: We’re going to need to see that penalty offside again. Fifa appear reluctant to show it.
Goal! Qatar 0-1 Switzerland (Embolo, 17 pen)
Embolo calmly steers home as the “check over” button is pressed, as is Freed From Desire.
Penalty to Switzerland
Abunada smashes over Freuler, and the ref blows but there will be a VAR look. There seems to be an offside in the third phase of play. The keeper’s taken a whack. The check takes an age. Stockley Park, take a bow, these lads are taking their time.
13 min: It’s all Switzerland, who are switching positions all over the place.
12 min: Another Swiss set-piece chance. Smashed in and Akanji is close to getting a touch. The keeper claims with some relief. That was there to be hit.
11 min: Jon Weeks gets in touch: “San Franciscans have had a complicated relationship with the (redacted) Stadium since the 49ers decamped 40 miles south to Santa Clara. Hard to get to via public transit, parking nightmares, brutal lack of shade. Combined with the low average Fifa rankings of the teams playing there and those laughable prices, the World Cup vibe in the Bay Area has been muted and I’m not surprised to see so many empty seats.”
10 min: The most noise that can heard is when Qatar go on the attack..though there’s a gasp as Ndoye smashes wide for the Swiss. That was the best chance so far.
9 min: The corner is cleared, and Qatar go on the counter before Aebischer runs back to sweep up.
8 min: As might have been expected, the Swiss are in command of possession, and now force their first corner. Rodriguez, old dependable, will take.
7 min: Good Switzerland chance, good save. Ndoye runs on to a fine Michel Aebischer pass, and forces a save from Abunada, who is a newish player for Lopetegui.
5 min: Zakaria looks to get away down the right, only for Ahmed to clatter in. Good tackle from the Qatari defender.
4 min: Was that Qatar’s chance? The Swiss looked a bit nervy in defence.
3 min: The atmosphere – not electric. Until…Edmilson gets a chance. It’s a golden one, Akanji having made a mistake. The Swiss keeper, Kobel, comes to the rescue.
Away we go in the Bay Area
1 min: After the countdown, off we go. A note: it seems the Swiss are going four at the back. It appears to be a 4-3-3, an attacking formation, and Embolo gets an early chance to have a dig. That shot is blocked.
The VAR team are viewed, with cheesy grins: it’s a Mexican and Uruguayan squad.
Colin Livingstone gets in touch: As a long time fan of the Alan Parsons Poject, I greatly approve of the walk out music at this World Cup. Also: come on Scotland (later).”
Simon McMahon gets in touch: “Evening John. Qatar v Switzerland is a classic World Cup fixture, one that nobody outside the competing countries, or gamblers, would ever follow otherwise. Can’t wait. The newly expanded format leaves open the delicious possibility, for fans of Pointless at least, that Tuvalu v Central African Republic, or Djibouti v St. Kitts and Nevis, may yet happen…”
It’s hot out there, as they take the field to Alan Parsons’ Sirius. There are empty seats, quite visible. Let’s see if they fill up. First, the national anthems.
The San Francisco Bay Area, the home of the Grateful Dead, Peter Thiel, Danny Glover, Sharon Stone, Haight-Ashbury, Silicon Valley and the Golden Gate bridge awaits. The teams are in the tunnel, their coaches already on the sidelines of the home of the 49-ers.
What do these teams mean? Via Reuters.
Switzerland’s most capped players Ricardo Rodriguez and captain Granit Xhaka will both make a record 13th World Cup appearance for their country.
Denis Zakaria returns for Switzerland, Silvan Widmer misses out.
Qatar made four changes to the team that sealed their qualification for the World Cup, with Almoez, the top scorer in Asian qualifying, left out.
Twice Asian Player of the Year Akram Afif leads the attack for Qatar.
Switzerland stick with the same group of defenders who started all six qualifiers and conceded just two goals.
Swiss 20-year-old attacking midfielder Johan Manzambi is on the bench after starting in recent friendlies.
How’s your bracketology going?
Qatar captain Hassan Al Haydos, 35, is according to his coach, Julen Lopetegui “an outstanding role model both on and off the pitch, and one of the finest individuals I have had the pleasure of working with throughout my coaching career”. And yet he starts on the bench, and his 187th cap will come as a sub.
One of those Swiss veterans, Ricardo Rodriguez, has quite a back story. From 2018. He has 138 caps for his country and now plays for Betis.
The expected formations, are Qatar 4-3-3 and Switzerland 4-2-3-1.
The teams
Qatar: Abunada, Al Oui, Ro Ro, Khouki, Ahmed, Gaber, Madibo, Laye, Junior, Abdurisag, Afif. Subs: Zakaria, Barsham, Lucas Mendes, Hatem, Alaaeldin, Muntari, Al Haydos, Boudiaf, Al Ganehi, Al Brake, Ali, Fatehi, Jamshid, Al Hussain, Al Manai.
Switzerland: Kobel, Zakaria, Akanji, Elvedi, Aebischer, Freuler, Xhaka, Rodriguez, Ndoye, Vargas, Embolo. Subs: Mvogo, Keller, Muheim, Widmer, Manzambi, Jashari, Sow, Fassnacht, Comert, Okafor, Rieder, Amdouni, Amenda, Jaquez, Itten.
Referee: Hector Martinez (Honduras)
Rodrygo
Being unable to play during the final part of Real Madrid’s season and not taking part at the World Cup with the Seleção is a feeling impossible to explain. Watching Real Madrid’s crucial matches on TV without being able to step on to the pitch and give my all for the club left a bitter taste. And watching the World Cup squad announcement without the expectation of hearing my name called by Carlo Ancelotti was tough.
Some of the news stories from the first Saturday of the tournament.
Here’s the Qatari star man.
Sunderland fans will be looking forward to seeing their local hero in action.
The 2022 hosts’ preparations for the tournament were disrupted as the US-Iran war caused the cancellation of valuable friendlies against Serbia and champions Argentina in March. The coach, Julen Lopetegui, had wanted as many minutes as possible with his players, having only been appointed in May 2025. Worryingly, they had won only one out of 11 games under the former Spain and Real Madrid manager before the World Cup warm-up games.
Lopetegui did what he had to do though, making sure Qatar reached the World Cup finals, but it was a close call. The Maroons finished fourth out of six teams in the main qualifying group before – aided by home advantage and a favourable schedule – drawing 0-0 with Oman and beating UAE 2-1 to ensure qualification.
There are many reasons why Swiss fans can approach the tournament with hope and anticipation. The team were very comfortable in qualifying, finishing top of their group ahead of Kosovo, Slovenia and Sweden, winning four games and drawing two.
There is a good mix in the squad between the elder statesmen – such as Granit Xhaka, Manuel Akanji and Ricardo Rodriguez – and a younger generation represented by Dan Ndoye, Fabian Rieder and Johan Manzambi among others. Moreover, the Nati have so far avoided injuries with the Burnley striker Zeki Amdouni seemingly winning his battle to get back after an anterior cruciate ligament injury.
Preamble
OK, here’s a test of the expanded tournament. Hipsters only? Though to be fair, both teams are not unfamiliar, having been at the 2022 finals, Qatar as hosts. The Swiss are serial qualifiers, 12 times in all though have never been past the quarters, and that was as long as 1954, when they were hosts. Qatar are Asian champions, no less, and coached by a familiar Premier League face in Julen Lopetegui. The Swiss qualified with ease, topping their group unbeaten. They meet in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Kick-off at 3pm ET/8pm UK time
