It is almost kick-off time in the first of four matches as the World Cup group stage really gets underway with four games in 11 hours. The Swiss are the overwhelming favourites to win this Group B clash. The game is being played at Levi Stadium, home of iconic NFL side the San Francisco 49ers, which has been renamed San Francisco Bay Area Stadium for the tournament under FIFA rules.
Qatar was an automatic qualifier for the 2022 World Cup as host country, and it had a rather disappointing showing at home, but it earned its way into the field this time. Almoez Ali is the country’s career scoring leader with 60 goals in 126 international appearances, but he’s been left on the bench today by Qatari coach Julen Lopetegui.
Their side is largely unchanged from that used to qualify for the tournament.
Switzerland qualified for its sixth straight World Cup and enters the tournament as the 19th-ranked team. The Swiss have never won a knockout-round game despite advancing out of their group three times. Switzerland is led by midfielder Granit Xhaka, who has 145 caps and a record 13th World Cup appearance for this country.
Qatar: Mahmoud Abunada, Pedro Miguel, Issa Laye, Jassem Gaber, Edmilson Junior, Akram Afif, Ayoub Alawi, Homam Ahmed, Yusuf Abdurisag, Boualem Khoukhi, Assim Madibo,
Switzerland: Gregor Kobel, Nico Elvedi, Manuel Akanji, Denis Zakaria, Breel Embolo, Remo Freuler, Granit Xhaka, Dan Ndoye, Ricardo Rodriguez, Ruben Vargas, Michel Aebischer
