Qatar coach Julen Lopetegui made four changes to his lineup for the World Cup Group B match against Switzerland on June 13, 2026, including benching their top scorer, Almoez Ali, who led Asian qualifying in goals scored [1, 2]. Twice Asian Player of the Year Akram Afif started up front instead.
Switzerland named a largely unchanged lineup from their qualifying campaign, keeping the same defense that conceded just two goals in six matches. Key defenders Gregor Kobel, Nico Elvedi, and Manuel Akanji returned to the backline along with Denis Zakaria, who came back into the lineup as Silvan Widmer missed out [1, 2].
Ricardo Rodriguez and captain Granit Xhaka each made a record 13th World Cup appearance for Switzerland, matching their most capped player marks on the world stage [1, 2]. Midfielder Remo Freuler, winger Ruben Vargas, and attacker Breel Embolo also started, with young attacking midfielder Johan Manzambi named on the bench after recent friendlies [1, 2].
Qatar's starting eleven featured goalkeeper Mahmoud Abunada, defenders Pedro Miguel, Issa Laye, Jassem Gaber, and midfielder Edmilson Junior. The midfield included Ayoub Alawi, Homam Ahmed, Yusuf Abdurisag, and Boualem Khoukhi, with Assim Madibo anchoring. [1, 2]
Qatar qualified with the help of Almoez Ali’s scoring but Lopetegui opted to change the approach against Switzerland by promoting Afif to lead the attack [1, 2]. Switzerland’s settled backline showed consistency by fielding the same defenders who performed strongly in qualifying [1, 2].
The match on June 13 marked a key Group B fixture, with both teams looking to secure points early in the tournament [1, 2].