FIFA World Cup 2026: Switzerland eye 4th Round of 16 appearance against Riyad Mahrez’s spirited Algeria

Whoever wins this fixture will face either of Colombia or Ghana who will lock horns against each other on Saturday in their Round of 32 fixture. Get the full preview right here

Published: July 2, 2026, 6:59 PM IST

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Riyad Mahrez of Algeria celebrates during the group J match between Algeria and Austria at the 2026 FIFA World Cup at Kansas City Stadium in Kansas City, the United States, June 27, 2026. (Photo: Xinhua via IANS)

Switzerland and Algeria are all set to lock horns against each other in the 13th Round of 32 fixture tomorrow at the BC Place Stadium in Vancouver. 10 teams have already secured their berth in the Round of 16 with England, Belgium and co-hosts United States of America becoming the latest to join the qualified teams yesterday.

There is room left for only 6 teams and by tomorrow morning, 3 teams would have qualified for the Round of 16. At 12:30AM, 2010 champions Spain will be up against Austria followed by Portugal’s clash against last edition’s bronze medallist Croatia at 4:30AM and Switzerland and Algeria will lock horns at 8:30AM.

Also Read: FIFA World Cup 2026: 40-year-old goalkeeper Vozinha asks Cape Verde supporters to rally behind the team ahead of Round of 32 clash against Argentina

How Switzerland reached here?

Switzerland qualified for the Round of 32 by topping Group B with 7 points to their name. Although their group stage campaign began with a 1-1 draw against Qatar, the Swiss team turned it around in their following matches against Bosnia and Herzegovina and co-hosts Canada.

The Europeans, who are looking to reach the last 16 stage for the 4th time in their history, defeated Bosnia by 4-1 and Canada by a narrow margin of 2-1. Over the last two editions, Switzerland failed to go beyond the Round of 16 but that’s something they will be hoping to change this time around.

Algeria’s path to the Round of 32

Algeria had a far more interesting and intense path to the Round of 32 as they qualified as one of the 8 best 3rd placed teams in Group J. Their journey to the last 32 did not start on an encouraging note as they suffered a heavy 3-0 loss against reigning champions Argentina.

In their 2nd game, which was a virtual do-or-die fixture, the Algerian were able to secure a narrow 2-1 victory against Jordan, a result that somehow made their path easier but they still needed a point or so against Austria in their group finale.

Also Read: FIFA World Cup 2026: Spain eye back-to-back Round of 16 qualification against Austria

The match turned out to be an absolute goal fest with a total of 6 goals scored. Algeria came from behind twice before Riyad Mahrez netted his side’s potential winner in the 3rd minute of injury time but Austria responded just in time to make it 3-3, 6 minutes later.

Whoever wins this fixture will face either of Colombia or Ghana who will lock horns against each other on Saturday in their Round of 32 fixture.