Qatar’s quest for World Cup redemption begins tonight at 10 pm as the 2022 hosts return to football’s biggest stage with a difficult Group B opener against Switzerland, a side that has established itself as one of Europe’s most consistent tournament performers.
Four years ago, Qatar made history as World Cup debutants on home soil, but their campaign ended in disappointment as they became the first host nation to lose all three group matches.
Now under the guidance of manager Julen Lopetegui, the Asian champions will be hoping for a far stronger showing, although recent form suggests they face a major challenge against a Swiss team that has reached the knockout stages in each of the last three editions.
Qatar enter the tournament in worrying form after extending their winless run to six matches with a goalless draw against El Salvador in their final warm-up fixture.
That sequence has produced just two goals, highlighting their struggles in front of goal ahead of their second World Cup appearance.
The Maroons have also found European opposition difficult to overcome, winning only two of their last 15 encounters against teams from the continent, while failing to record a victory in their last 11 full internationals played outside Qatar.
However, Lopetegui will take encouragement from Qatar’s ability to threaten from set-pieces.
During qualifying, 15 of their 37 goals came from dead-ball situations, accounting for 41 percent of their total, while their qualifying matches averaged 3.61 goals per game, the highest among teams that played at least 10 matches in Asian qualifying.
Switzerland, meanwhile, arrive with confidence and consistency on their side.
The Swiss extended their impressive run to just one defeat in their last 14 matches after a 1-1 draw with Australia earlier this month, recording eight wins and five draws during that period.
Murat Yakin’s side were one of only two European nations to complete qualifying without ever falling behind, winning four and drawing two of their six matches.
As the highest-ranked team in Group B, Switzerland will be aiming to carry that stability into the finals.
History is also on their side, because the Red Crosses have not lost their opening World Cup match since 1966, recording three wins and three draws since then, while they have not been beaten by a nation currently ranked below Qatar since November 2022.
The two nations have met only once before, with Qatar claiming a surprise 1-0 friendly victory over Switzerland in 2018. Akram Afif, one of Qatar’s biggest attacking threats, scored the decisive goal in that encounter.
Qatar will look towards Afif for inspiration. The Asian Footballer of the Year in 2024 has been a key figure for his country and has scored 11 of his last 14 international goals in victories, underlining his importance when Qatar find their rhythm.
For Switzerland, Breel Embolo, eho joined the team late after being granted belated approval to travel to the US, remains a major attacking weapon on the biggest stage.
The forward has scored five goals at major tournaments for his country, with four of those either opening or closing the scoring in matches.
Qatar have no reported fresh injury concerns ahead of their opener and are expected to select from a full squad.
Switzerland could manage the workload of Noah Okafor, who has only recently returned from a calf problem and may not be ready to complete the full 90 minutes.
