Argentina Faces Switzerland in FIFA World Cup 2026 Quarter-Final

Kansas City. After two difficult knockout matches, which generated more controversy than goals, Argentina is entering the decisive stage of the World Cup.

In the group stage, with the help of Lionel Messi's excellent attack, the defending champion Argentina had left many title contenders behind. But in the knockout stage, their performance against relatively weaker opponents was not as reliable and impressive. This raises a question – can Argentina really defend its title?

Now the three-time world champion team will face Switzerland, which has made an excellent comeback to the quarter-finals for the first time in 72 years.

The excellent pair of Breel Embolo and Johan Manzambi has won the hearts of the Swiss fans. Sunday's match will also give them an opportunity to take revenge for the defeat they suffered against Argentina in the 2014 World Cup.

• How did Argentina and Switzerland reach the quarter-finals?

Argentina topped Group 'J' by performing excellently in the first round, defeating Austria, Jordan, and Algeria. In the Round of 32, Cape Verde gave Argentina a tough challenge, where Argentina won 3-2 in extra time. Similarly, in a controversial Round of 16 match where the referee was accused of bias, Argentina came back from a two-goal deficit to win 3-2 against Egypt.

Switzerland remained at the top of Group 'B' undefeated. They defeated Canada and Bosnia and Herzegovina, and drew with Qatar. After defeating Algeria 2-0 in the Round of 32, Switzerland defeated Colombia 4-3 in a penalty shootout in the Round of 16, making their way to the quarter-finals for the first time in 72 years.

• It is not impossible to defeat Argentina: Swiss coach

Argentina's title defense campaign, which started with confidence, has gradually started to falter.

Cape Verde, the smallest nation to play in the knockout stage of the World Cup and making its debut in the tournament, forced the defending champion Argentina to fight hard for a win.

Argentina's struggle continued in the next match as well. Trailing 2-0 against Egypt, they secured a win in injury time. The opposing team accused the referee of favoring the defending champion.

Due to such performances, Argentina has slipped to fourth place in the list of title contenders. Also, they have dropped from the top position in the FIFA rankings to second place.

This has instilled confidence in the Swiss camp that it is not impossible to defeat Argentina.

Switzerland's coach Murat Yakin said, 'We are facing the defending champions, which is a special occasion. Also, we understand that it is not impossible to defeat Argentina.'

He added, 'Strategically, this will be a very interesting match.'

• Can the aging Messi handle the World Cup pressure?

At the age of 39, when many players' careers are over, Messi is proving that age is just a number.

In his sixth and possibly last World Cup, Messi has maintained a 100% record, scoring in all five matches Argentina has played so far. His 8 goals place him second in the race for the Golden Boot. He is only behind France's Kylian Mbappé. Mbappé also has 8 goals, but he is ahead based on assists and has played one more game.

Although not in his physical prime, Messi is still fulfilling the main responsibility of scoring for his national team. He saved the team from being eliminated by scoring one goal and providing one assist in the Round of 16.

Messi, who is rarely seen emotional, said after the match that he was very eager to continue his World Cup journey, shedding tears.

He admitted to being tired after playing 120 minutes against Cape Verde and struggling hard against a strong Egypt. Looking at it this way, it seems that Messi's aging body is struggling to cope with the pressure of a tough tournament like the World Cup.

As the tournament progresses, the margin for error decreases. In such a situation, a question arises – will age ultimately get the better of him?

• Argentina vs Switzerland: Who will win?

The Opta supercomputer shows Argentina's probability of winning in regular time at 57.1%, while Switzerland's probability of winning is 18.7%.

According to this model, the probability of the match going into extra time is 24.2%.

• Who will the winner play in the semi-finals?

The winner between Argentina and Switzerland will face Norway or England in the semi-final to be held in Atlanta on Wednesday.

• Head-to-Head

The two countries have met 7 times so far, with Argentina winning 5 matches and 2 matches ending in a draw.

Argentina has won both their World Cup matches against Switzerland. They won 2-0 in the group stage in 1966 and 1-0 in the Round of 16 in 2014. The 2014 match was the last encounter between the two teams in any competition.

Only 3 players who participated in the 2014 match are still in the squad: Messi, Swiss captain Granit Xhaka, and defender Ricardo Rodriguez.

• Latest Team Status

There are no reports of any player injuries in the Argentina squad. Meanwhile, Switzerland's Manzambi and Xhaka are out due to knee and muscle injuries respectively, and Aebischer's participation is doubtful.

Switzerland's 20-year-old young star Manzambi also missed the last match.

Argentina's probable starting XI:

• (4-1-3-2): Martinez (Goalkeeper); Molina, Romero, Lisandro, Tagliafico; Paredes; De Paul, Enzo, Mac Allister; Messi, Lautaro.

Switzerland's probable starting XI:

• (4-2-3-1): Kobel (Goalkeeper); Zakaria, Elvedi, Akanji, Rodriguez; Freuler, Xhaka; Vargas, Rieder, Ndoye; Embolo.

Match Information

• Who is playing: Argentina vs Switzerland
• What: FIFA World Cup 2026 - Quarter-final
• Where: Kansas City Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri, USA
• When: Sunday, 6:45 AM