Article by Romeo Ene – Published on Sunday, 14 June 2026, 00:05 / Updated on Sunday, 14 June 2026 00:05
National Switzerland debuted with a draw at the 2026 World Championship, 1-1 with Qatarin the second match of group B. The Swiss struck from the start of the game, but were equalized in one of the last phases by the representative team that hosted the previous edition of the final tournament.
The team trained by Murat Yakin set a first in the history of participation in the World Cup, after opening the scoring from a penalty, the first awarded to Switzerland in regulation time of a match played at such a final tournament, according to Squawka.
Switzerland, the first penalty received and converted at a World Championship
The Qatari defense quickly gave way under the pressure of the Swiss. In the 14th minute, Mahmoud Abunada had a hard intervention in the box, after laying his opponent on the ground. Said Martinez did not hesitate and immediately dictated the shot from 11 meters.
The “central” was called to the edge of the field to review the phase on the VAR monitor. After two minutes of analysis, Martinez stood his ground, confirming the penalty kick.
In the 17th minute, Breel Embolo took the penalty kick and gave no chance to goalkeeper Mahmoud Abunada. The Swiss striker certainly converted, but Yakin's team slipped the victory through their fingers in extra time.
It was the first penalty that the Swiss national team benefited from in regular time of a World Championship match, not counting the penalty kicks executed after extra time.
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Next up for Switzerland is the clash with Bosnia and Herzegovina, while Qatar will face Canada in the next stage of Group B.
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After the first stage, all four national teams have one point each, so the fight to qualify for the next stage remains completely open.
Ranking in group B from WC 2026
