The final quarterfinal of the 2026 World Cup takes place at Kansas City Stadium, where Switzerland and defending champions Argentina meet for a place in the semifinals.
Switzerland head into this match ranked 14th in the FIFA World Rankings, with 1,710.88 points, a position they’ve earned throughout the tournament. Murat Yakin’s men went unbeaten across their four matches so far, opening with a draw against Qatar on Matchday 1 before picking up wins over Bosnia and Herzegovina and Canada to close out the group stage.
They then cruised past Algeria 2-0 in the Round of 32, and needed a penalty shootout to see off Colombia in the Round of 16 following a goalless draw.
Standing in their way is an Argentina side ranked 3rd in the world, with 1,925.15 points. Lionel Scaloni’s men topped Group J with a perfect nine points, then survived an extra-time scare against Cape Verde in the Round of 32 before pulling off a stunning comeback from 2-0 down to beat Egypt 3-2 in the Round of 16.
Switzerland players react during the penalty shootout vs Colombia. (Getty Images)
Switzerland chasing history
Beyond the ranking gap, there’s a bigger prize on the line for Switzerland,as a win would send them into the semifinals for the first time since 1954, snapping a 72-year drought at this stage of the tournament.
see also
How Argentina’s win, draw, or loss vs Switzerland could impact the 2026 World Cup bracket
Argentina and Switzerland’s head-to-head record
History strongly favors Argentina heading into the quarterfinal clash. The two nations have met twice at the World Cup, and Switzerland have never beaten Argentina in either meeting. The first came at the 1966 World Cup in England, where Argentina defeated Switzerland 2-0 at the group stage.
The second came at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, where Argentina needed until the 118th minute of extra time to break the deadlock, with a strike from Angel Di Maria sending them through to the quarterfinals on their way to the final that year.
