Qatar stopped Switzerland in stoppage time and completely opened up Group B of the World Cup
Qatar earned a historic point in the second match of Group B at the 2026 World Cup with a 1:1 draw against Switzerland, after Boualem Khoukhi cancelled out Breel Embolo’s first-half goal in stoppage time. The match was played on June 13, 2026, at San Francisco Bay Area Stadium in Santa Clara, and according to Sky Sports’ report, there were 67,966 spectators in the stadium. Switzerland had held the lead for a long time, produced a large number of shots and gave the impression of control, but failed to settle the match with a second goal. Qatar therefore withstood the pressure, waited for the final big chance and turned it into a result with a meaning far broader than a single point in the table.
According to FIFA’s official schedule, the match between Qatar and Switzerland was a first-round fixture in Group B, which also includes Canada and Bosnia and Herzegovina. Since the earlier match between Canada and Bosnia and Herzegovina in Toronto also ended 1:1, all four national teams have one point after the first round. Such an outcome unexpectedly levelled a group in which Switzerland, before the start of the competition, had been considered one of the main candidates to win first place, while Qatar, Canada and Bosnia and Herzegovina entered the tournament with different but clear ambitions to reach the knockout stage.
Embolo scored from a penalty, Qatar stayed in the game
Switzerland took the lead in the 17th minute, when Breel Embolo calmly converted a penalty kick. According to reports from the match, the penalty was awarded after a collision between Qatari goalkeeper Mahmoud Abunada and Swiss midfielder Remo Freuler in the penalty area. The situation sparked debate because some commentators believed there had been a possible offside at the start of the move, but automated technology confirmed that play could continue and the penalty decision remained in force. Sky Sports stated that FIFA did not immediately show the usual graphic in the television broadcast that would have explained the decision to viewers, which further increased the dissatisfaction of some expert commentators.
After Embolo’s goal, it seemed Switzerland would steer the match toward the expected outcome. Murat Yakin’s team had more possession, got in front of the Qatari goal more often and created chances from open play, but the finishing was not precise enough. Dan Ndoye missed several promising situations in the first half, while Edmilson Junior, at the other end, had an early chance to punish a mistake by Manuel Akanji. Qatar did not have the same number of attacks, but remained organised enough not to allow the match to fall apart completely after conceding.
According to the statistics published by Sky Sports, Switzerland finished the match with 26 shots to Qatar’s seven and expected goals worth 3.24, but scored their only goal from a penalty kick. That ratio clearly shows that the Swiss national team had more chances, but at the same time also reveals the fundamental problem of their performance: dominance was not turned into a secure advantage. In first-round matches at the World Cup, such a failure often carries a heavy price, because a points deficit or a missed win can prove decisive in a group where a fight for every position is expected.
Khoukhi scored late for Qatar’s first point at the World Cup
Qatar reached the equaliser in the closing stages, when Homam Ahmed sent the ball toward the far post and Boualem Khoukhi jumped between the Swiss defenders and headed it toward the net. Official match reports credit the goal to Khoukhi in the 90+4th minute, while Reuters, in its description of the move, stated that the ball deflected off Swiss player Miro Muheim after his header. In both cases, the final outcome remains the same: Qatar equalised at 1:1 in the final moments of the match and earned the first point in its history of World Cup appearances.
That detail is especially important because of Qatar’s experience from 2022. At the home World Cup, Qatar lost all three group matches, and FIFA’s results archive from that tournament shows defeats to Ecuador, Senegal and the Netherlands. Four years later, the national team led by Julen Lopetegui managed, in its first appearance at the 2026 tournament, to avoid defeat against an experienced European side and claim a result that can change the psychological picture of the group. Reuters reported Lopetegui’s statement that Qatar had achieved one dream simply by reaching the tournament, and that the draw against Switzerland was a new small dream that gives it the right to continue its ambitions.
Goalkeeper Mahmoud Abunada, who conceded the penalty for Switzerland’s lead, highlighted after the match, according to Reuters’ report, that this was the first point in the history of the Qatari national team at the World Cup. His match neatly summed up Qatar’s evening: from an early mistake and pressure after conceding a goal to a major celebration at the end. Qatar did not play a match in which it statistically outperformed its opponent, but it showed resilience, patience and the ability to extract the maximum result from one of its few real late situations.
Switzerland missed the chance to take control of the group
For Switzerland, the draw is particularly unpleasant because it had the opportunity to take advantage of the earlier draw between Canada and Bosnia and Herzegovina and move clear at the top of the group after the first round. Instead, Murat Yakin’s national team remained on one point, the same as all the other opponents. According to Sky Sports, Switzerland has not missed a World Cup since 2002, and ahead of this tournament its stability and experience were considered an important asset. Still, the match against Qatar showed that control of the game alone is not enough if a team does not confirm its advantage and close out the match in moments when it has the initiative.
Switzerland also had situations late on with which it could have avoided the dramatic ending. Granit Xhaka shot from a promising position in the second half, Embolo had space in the penalty area in the 85th minute, and earlier Ndoye several times failed to produce a final shot matching the quality of the move. The absence of a second goal left Qatar with the possibility of searching until the end for a set piece, a cross or an isolated situation in front of goal. That is exactly what happened in stoppage time, when Khoukhi made use of one of the last balls sent into the Swiss penalty area.
Such an outcome could also have tactical consequences for the continuation of the group. Switzerland will, according to the schedule published by Sky Sports, play Bosnia and Herzegovina in the second round on June 18 in Los Angeles, while a match against Canada in Vancouver is scheduled for June 24. If it wants to confirm its status as favourite, Yakin’s team will have to show greater efficiency and less reliance on controlling the rhythm without clear finishing. The draw against Qatar is not a serious result blow in itself, but it significantly reduces the room for another slip-up.
All four national teams start over after the first round
Group B after the first round has a rarely even picture: Canada, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Qatar and Switzerland each have one point, and both matches ended 1:1. In Toronto, Bosnia and Herzegovina took the lead against Canada through Jovo Lukić in the first half, while Cyle Larin brought the hosts a point in the 78th minute, according to reports by CityNews and ESPN. That also gave Canada its first point at World Cups, further emphasising how much the first round of Group B was marked by historic results for two national teams.
The format of the 2026 World Cup gives additional weight to every point. According to the competition rules stated in their guides by FIFA and Sky Sports, the two best national teams from each group advance to the round of 32, and qualification is also secured by the eight best third-placed national teams among the 12 groups. That means third place does not necessarily mean elimination, but points won in the first two rounds can be decisive in comparison with national teams from other groups. For Qatar, the draw against Switzerland is therefore more than a symbolic success: it is a point that keeps it fully alive in the fight to advance.
The schedule also opens several clear scenarios. Qatar plays Canada in the second round on June 18 in Vancouver, while Switzerland and Bosnia and Herzegovina meet the same day in Los Angeles. The final round brings the matches Bosnia and Herzegovina – Qatar in Seattle and Switzerland – Canada in Vancouver, both on June 24 according to the schedule published by Sky Sports. In a group where no one has an advantage after the first round, every next goal, card or goal difference can gain importance beyond a single match.
VAR communication under scrutiny again
One of the controversial details of the match was the way the decision for Switzerland’s penalty was presented to the public. According to Sky Sports’ report, automated technology confirmed there had been no offside at the start of the move, but the graphic that would have explained this was not immediately shown to viewers in the broadcast. Expert commentators Ian Wright and Gary Neville criticised the lack of transparency, and the debate continued after the match. Although there is no indication that the decision changed the outcome of the review or that the system itself was used incorrectly, communication of such situations remains important for public trust in officiating.
Similar debates have followed VAR since its introduction at the biggest competitions, especially when it comes to offsides, penalties and situations in which a decision is made after a review lasting several minutes. In the Qatar and Switzerland match, the additional problem was that it was an early decision that directly changed the score. Switzerland took the lead from that penalty, and Qatar had to chase the deficit for most of the match. Because of that, regardless of the final draw, the discussion about displaying VAR graphics and explaining decisions will probably continue in the coming days of the tournament.
For referees and organisers, the challenge is to find a balance between the speed of decision-making and the need for the audience to clearly understand what happened. Before the tournament, FIFA had particularly emphasised technological solutions that were supposed to increase accuracy, but the match in Santa Clara showed that accuracy is not the only criterion. Clear communication is equally important, especially in high-pressure matches in which one goal can change the dynamics of an entire group.
Lopetegui’s Qatar got a result that changes expectations
Julen Lopetegui took over Qatar with the aim of making the national team more competitive after its unsuccessful performance at the home World Cup in 2022. According to Sky Sports’ guide to Group B, Qatar arrived at the 2026 World Cup as the winner of its qualifying group in Asia, and the squad still includes important names such as Akram Afif, Almoez Ali, Hassan Al-Haydos and Boualem Khoukhi. Against Switzerland, there was no dominance in possession nor a large number of well-worked moves, but there was a national team ready to stay in the match even when the balance of chances strongly favoured the opponent.
The draw against Switzerland does not change the fact that Qatar must seek more points in the rest of the group. Indeed, the evenness of the table means that duels against Canada and Bosnia and Herzegovina will carry even greater pressure than they would have if the favourites had already created separation. Still, winning a point at the start gives Qatar a different starting point. Instead of continuing the negative run from its first World Cup appearance, the team enters the second round with proof that it can survive pressure and punish the opponent at the key moment.
For Switzerland, meanwhile, the match remains a warning. A national team that has experience, players from strong European leagues and continuity of appearances on the biggest stage must not remain only at the level of an impression of superiority. In a group in which all teams are level on points, Switzerland will already have to confirm against Bosnia and Herzegovina that the draw with Qatar was a missed opportunity, not an indicator of a deeper problem in its play. Qatar, on the other hand, with one leap from Khoukhi, turned a match that looked lost into a result that makes Group B one of the most uncertain after the opening of the tournament.
Sources:
- FIFA – official match centre for Qatar – Switzerland, data on the competition, location and Group B schedule (link)
- FIFA – official match centre for Canada – Bosnia and Herzegovina, result and basic details of the match in Toronto (link)
- Sky Sports – match report from Qatar – Switzerland, scorers, key moments, statistics and context of the VAR decision (link)
- Reuters / Cyprus Mail – agency report from the match, statements by Julen Lopetegui and Mahmoud Abunada and description of the late goal (link)
- Sky Sports – guide to Group B of the 2026 World Cup, match schedule, squads, qualification path and advancement rules (link)
- CityNews Toronto – report on Canada – Bosnia and Herzegovina, scorers and context of the first Group B match (link)
- FIFA – results archive of the 2022 World Cup, results of the Qatari national team in Group A (link)