Argentina vs Switzerland in FIFA World Cup 2026 Quarterfinals

Kathmandu. The FIFA World Cup 2026 quarterfinal match between defending champions Argentina and Switzerland is taking place today. The winner of this exciting match, which will start at 6:45 AM Nepali time on Sunday at Kansas City Stadium in America, will face England in the semifinal match to be held in Atlanta on Wednesday.

The journey of both teams in this competition has been very challenging and interesting. Defending champions Argentina had secured the top spot in Group 'J' by defeating Austria, Jordan, and Algeria in the group stage. However, they had to face tough challenges in the knockout stage. Argentina secured a place in the quarterfinals by registering a 3-2 victory against Egypt in the Round of 16 after coming back from a 2-0 deficit, having secured a difficult 3-2 extra-time win against Cape Verde in the Round of 32.

On the other hand, Switzerland, reaching the World Cup quarterfinals for the first time in 72 years, also remained undefeated and topped Group 'B'. The Swiss team had defeated Canada and Bosnia in the group stage and drew with Qatar. Switzerland, after defeating Algeria 2-0 in the Round of 32 in the knockout stage, secured a historic quarterfinal journey by defeating the strong Colombia 4-3 in a penalty shootout in the Round of 16.

Looking at the historical encounters between these two teams, Argentina seems to have the upper hand. In the 7 encounters so far, Argentina has won 5 matches, while 2 matches have ended in a draw. Argentina has been victorious in both encounters in the World Cup (2-0 in 1966 and 1-0 in 2014).

The starting eleven for today's match has been announced for both teams. Argentina has fielded Emi Martinez as the goalkeeper in a 4-1-3-2 formation, with Nahuel Molina, Cristian Romero, Lisandro Martinez, and Nicolas Tagliafico in the defense. Leandro Paredes will be in the defensive midfield, with Rodrigo De Paul, Enzo Fernandez, and Alexis Mac Allister ahead of him. The team's attack will be handled by captain Lionel Messi and Julian Alvarez.

Similarly, Switzerland has named Gregor Kobel as the goalkeeper in a 4-2-3-1 formation. Ricardo Rodriguez, Manuel Akanji, Nico Elvedi, and Denis Zakaria will be in the defense, while Granit Xhaka and Remo Freuler will be in the defensive midfield. Djibril Sow, Fabian Rieder, and Dan Ndoye will be in the attacking midfield, with Breel Embolo taking the field as the team's main striker.