Switzerland topped Group B on Wednesday. They beat Canada 2–1 in Vancouver, although the match nearly took a turn for the worse in the 96th minute. Before that, they had drawn 1–1 with Qatar, which nobody had expected. But in the end, they finished top of the group and achieved their objective.
The round of 16 match will take place on 3 July in Vancouver. Swiss time: 5 am. Anyone watching it live already knows what to expect. And the opponent is still unknown, because the qualification system for this 48-team World Cup is so complex that even the Swiss media admit they don’t fully understand it. FIFA uses a ‘match-up matrix’ that automatically assigns the opponent based on the combination of groups that qualify among the top eight third-placed teams. No draw. No simple explanation.
Among the potential opponents is the Algerian national team, managed by Vladimir Petkovic, the same man who managed the Swiss national team from 2014 to 2021. Anyone who follows Swiss football knows that such a match would be something special: the manager who led Switzerland to the quarter-finals of Euro 2021 returning as an opponent. The group stage concludes between Saturday and Sunday, and we’ll know more then.