Qatar head coach Julen Lopetegui has switched his focus from making history to upsetting World Cup 2026 co-hosts Canada after guiding his team to their first-ever point at the finals by springing a surprise against Switzerland.
Having lost all three matches on their tournament debut as hosts in 2022, The Maroons fell behind to Breel Embolo’s first-half penalty in San Francisco but bagged a 1-1 draw against opponents ranked 31 places above them by FIFA when 35-year-old captain Boualem Khoukhi headed the equaliser during second-half added time.
“We have to make a significant effort to recover before facing Canada, who have an extra day of rest and will be playing at home,” said former West Ham, Real Madrid and Spain boss Lopetegui (via Mundo Deportivo), whose side travel to Vancouver on Thursday (23:00 BST).
“Being here is a dream, getting a point is a dream, and we’ll keep dreaming. We know we’re at a lower level than our three rivals, but we want to compete.”
World Cup 2026 analysis: Can Qatar beat Canada?
Canada, who are ranked 31st, came from behind to draw with Bosnia and Herzegovina, who are 63rd, on Friday and had the better of the second half in their first match of the finals in Toronto.
Should they secure another positive result against Les Rouges, Qatar would be well placed to reach the knockout stage and vanquish memories of their underwhelming showing four years ago.
“Just being here was historic, and to get a point against Switzerland – one of the best teams in Europe, with significant solidity and top players – is already important,” reflected Lopetegui.
“A series of circumstances came together; we knew how to suffer during the difficult moments, we didn’t panic when we were losing and we were rewarded with a goal.
“They had many chances. We tried to defend but they have top players.”
World Cup 2026: Qatar fixtures, schedule
Here’s how the rest of the group stage schedule looks in Group B. The winners of the section will face a third-placed team in the last 32, with the second-placed team meeting Mexico, South Korea, Czechia or South Africa.
Should they finish third, Qatar will have to hope they are one of the eight best-performing teams to finish in that position from the 12 groups.
| Date | Match | BST start time | ET | PT |
| June 18 | Canada vs Qatar | 23:00 | 18:00 | 15:00 |
| June 18 | Switzerland vs Bosnia and Herzegovina | 20:00 | 15:00 | 12:00 |
| June 24 | Switzerland vs Canada | 20:00 | 15:00 | 12:00 |
| June 24 | Bosnia and Herzegovina vs Qatar | 20:00 | 15:00 | 12:00 |
World Cup 2026: Qatar vs Switzerland stats
- Qatar finished bottom of their group on their World Cup debut as hosts in 2022, conceding seven goals and scoring once
- Among sides to have played at least 10 games in the 2026 AFC World Cup qualifiers, Qatar’s games produced more goals per game than any other side (3.61). Of AFC sides to reach the World Cup, Qatar lost more games than any other nation (5)
- Almoez Ali is Qatar’s record marksman with 55 goals in 114 appearances but has not netted since scoring against Oman in December 2024
- Ghanaian-born striker Mohammed Muntari scored Qatar’s only previous World Cup goal
- Switzerland last reached the quarter-finals of the World Cup in 1954, when the tournament was played on home soil. Since then, they’ve never progressed past the second round
- They are one of two European teams to have reached the knockout stages in each of the last six major international tournaments (World Cup and EURO), alongside France
- Murat Yakin’s side conceded a total of two goals in qualifying, having shipped 14 across six matches in their preceding Nations League campaign
- Embolo was Switzerland’s top scorer in qualifying campaign with four goals and is one of five players to have scored multiple goals at both the 2022 World Cup and the 2024 EURO, along with Harry Kane, Kai Havertz, Niclas Fullkrug and Cody Gakpo
- Ricardo Rodriguez is at his fourth edition of the World Cup and has started every single match at six different major tournaments
