Switzerland were made to pay for their wastefulness as Qatar struck a late equaliser in Santa Clara.
Re-live this Group B game at the 2026 FIFA World Cup with our Qatar vs Switzerland stats page.
Boualem Khoukhi scored a 94th-minute equaliser for Qatar to win them their first-ever point at a FIFA World Cup with a 1-1 draw with Switzerland in their Group B opener.
Our Opta match centre delivers you all the Qatar vs Switzerland stats from their 2026 FIFA World Cup Group B meeting at the San Francisco Bay Area Stadium in Santa Clara, California on 13 June 2026.
Underneath the match centre you can find the official Opta stats on the game as well.
Switzerland were made to pay for their wastefulness as Qatar struck a late equaliser in Santa Clara. Re-live this Group B game at the 2026 FIFA World Cup with our Qatar vs Switzerland stats page.
Boualem Khoukhi scored a 94th-minute equaliser for Qatar to win them their first-ever point at a FIFA World Cup with a 1-1 draw with Switzerland in their Group B opener.
The Swiss were made to rue missed chances, scoring just once from 26 shots, which amounted to 3.24 expected goals (xG), before Khoukhi headed in late on to stun Murat Yakin’s side.
It was an open start to proceedings at San Francisco Bay Area Stadium, with Edmílson Junior shooting straight at Gregor Kobel after a mistake from Manuel Akanji in the second minute, while Dan Ndoye forced a good save from Mahmoud Abunada before firing over from Rubén Vargas‘ low cross.
Switzerland found their breakthrough in the 17th minute as Breel Embolo converted from the penalty spot following a foul on Remo Freuler by Abunada, who received a yellow card before being sent the wrong way by the Swiss striker.
The Qatar goalkeeper did his best to atone for his error, denying Ndoye’s half-volley and Vargas’ poked effort, while Ayoub Al Oui cleared Michel Aebischer‘s first-time strike off the line before half-time.
Switzerland captain Granit Xhaka went close early on in the second half, seeing a powerful effort from distance fly narrowly over the crossbar, while Vargas was denied again by Abunada in the 75th minute, which was also the first shot on target after the break.
Time seemed to be running out for Qatar, who were still a threat on the counter, and they eventually reaped their rewards for a resolute defensive display as Khoukhi powered in a header from Homam El Amin’s pinpoint cross.
Wasteful Switzerland Stunned by Late Qatar Show
Switzerland’s 26 shots were their most in a World Cup match on record (since 1966), with Yakin perhaps now choosing to focus on shooting drills ahead of their game against Bosnia-Herzegovina on 18 June.
Qatar, meanwhile, received a huge boost in confidence, scoring just their second-ever goal in the competition to win their first point, having lost all three group games when they hosted the tournament in 2022.
Edmílson provided plenty of threat for Qatar, but just seemed to be missing the final touch, though Khoukhi made no mistake with his header in what can be considered the first upset of the tournament.
Nevertheless, it was not all doom and gloom for Switzerland.
Xherdan Shaqiri’s name is always mentioned when they feature at a major tournament, but with the former Liverpool and Bayern Munich forward retiring from international football, Embolo has continued to step up on the big stage.
Following his spot-kick, which was Switzerland’s first-ever penalty at the World Cup, only Shaqiri (10) has scored more goals in major competitions for Switzerland than Embolo (6), with the 29-year-old taking his overall tally for his country up to 25.
Our Opta match centre delivers you all the Qatar vs Switzerland stats from their 2026 FIFA World Cup Group B meeting at the San Francisco Bay Area Stadium in Santa Clara, California on 13 June 2026.
The match centre below includes team and player stats, expected goals data, passing networks, an Opta chalkboard and more. It gives you everything you need to do your own match analysis.
Underneath the match centre you can find the official Opta stats on the game as well.
Qatar vs Switzerland: Selected Post-Match Opta Facts
Switzerland are unbeaten in each of their last seven opening games of a FIFA World Cup (W3 D4), while this is the third time they’ve failed to win at the tournament in which they’ve led at half time
Switzerland’s 26 shots is their most in a World Cup match on record (since 1966), and the most for a side not to win a game at the tournament since Germany’s 2-1 defeat to Japan in 2022 (also 26).
Boualem Khoukhi’s equaliser for Qatar (93:59) is the third-latest equaliser scored in the group stages of the World Cup on record (since 1966), behind only Silvestre Varela for Portugal v USA in 2014 (94:34) and Luis Hernández for Mexico v Netherlands in 1998 (94:04).
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