World Cup 2026 Day 3: Group B recap

Switzerland and Qatar met to finish the first matchday of Group B. Switzerland comes into this World Cup as a dark-horse contender, as they are for most tournaments, while Qatar is considered a major underdog in every game of the group stage. These two met in San Francisco and played a game with little action or drama until the final minutes.

General view inside the stadium before the match

Eloisa Lopez

World Cup Group B - Matchday 1 (part 2)

Qatar 1 - 1 Switzerland

Switzerland and Qatar both used a 4-3-3 formation. The Swiss utilized midfield workhorse and captain Granit Xhaka to run their team, and the duo of Rubén Vargas and Breel Embolo to create attacking chances. Qatar relies on captain and center-back Boualem Khoukhi to organize the team and on winger Akram Afif to spark attacking sequences. Unfortunately for both teams, the sharpness needed to win was not present.

It was clear from the opening whistle that Qatar was not going to be an expansive team. They were going to let Switzerland dictate the play. This produced a very one-sided match. The Swiss had 75% of possession in the first half, but they lacked a finishing pass or touch in the final third. The closest thing to that was a looping ball contested between Swiss attackers and the Qatari goalkeeper, Abunada. He cleared out Switzerland's Freuler and conceded a penalty. Embolo stepped to the spot and sent the keeper the wrong way to give Switzerland a 1-0 lead 17 minutes in. There was little to speak of after that, and the Swiss took a 1-0 lead into the break.

Qatar's Mahmoud Abunada fouls Switzerland's Remo Freuler to concede a penalty

Carlos Barria

After halftime, Qatar shifted its tactics to utilize its wide players to hit back at Switzerland. Their outside backs moved up higher, and the line of confrontation was set at midfield, not their back line. Switzerland still tried to build from the middle that was now overloaded, distributing the ball to their wingers to beat the Qatari press. This led to a lot of back-and-forth, again with few quality chances to score. Qatar had the better looks the later the match went on, and in the fourth of six added minutes, center back Khoukhi went on a long, busting run into Switzerland's box. A perfect cross from Ahmed found the head of his captain, who thundered the chance home.

Qatar's Boualem Khoukhi celebrates scoring their first goal as Switzerland's Miro Muheim looks dejected.

Carlos Barria

Switzerland choked two points away by being wasteful in attack. In my opinion, this is to be expected from a Swiss side that always fools pundits and fans alike into thinking it'll be a contender. Qatar, on the other hand, showed real character in their comeback draw. They recorded their first-ever point at a World Cup, and the draw will feel like a win as they move on to matchday two.

Day 3, Group B, Round-up:

With this draw, Group B has finished matchday one. Canada, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Qatar, and Switzerland all sit on one point and have a 0 goal difference, thanks to both matchday one matches ending 1-1. They now have until next Thursday, June 18, to prepare for their next games. The group is up for grabs!

Day four of the 2026 World Cup is tomorrow, with teams from groups E and F starting their campaigns. This includes Ecuador vs. the Ivory Coast, which will be the first game at the Linc… I mean "Philadelphia Stadium." Stay tuned for more daily recap coverage from Metro Philly Sports Network, as we will have day three recaps from Groups C and D later today!