Breel Embolo converted the first penalty of the World Cup 2026 to give Switzerland a 17th-minute lead in their Group B opener against Qatar in Santa Clara on Saturday.Rennes forward Embolo, whose arrival in the US was held up because of a delay to his visa approval, struck coolly for his 25th international goal following a foul by goalkeeper Abunada on Remo Freuler, with a lengthy Video Assistant Referee review for offside ruling in Switzerlands favour. Former England defender Lee Dixon was surprised by the decision to award the penalty, having been convinced that a Nati player had been offside.Im looking at a monitor with a 33-degree sun shining straight into it, Dixon told ITV. Ive seen the replay surely my vision isnt that bad. I must have missed something. Table of ContentsWorld Cup 2026: Should Switzerland goal vs Qatar have stood?Qatar team vs SwitzerlandSwitzerland team vs QatarWhere to watch Qatar vs Switzerland: TV channel, live online streamQatar vs Switzerland statsWorld Cup 2026: Should Switzerland goal vs Qatar have stood?Former referee Christina Unkel told Dixon that he had not been too far off but backed the review outcome.The technology thats been implemented in this World Cup is at a higher level, so its going to be even sharper and crisper, explained Unkel.It did look like offside from our scenario as well, but the technology is so advanced that its going to be able to tell very accurately from the millimetre.This is a very, very tight offside but the technology checked on both of the two offside interactions. Qatar team vs SwitzerlandAhmed Fathy replaced Assim Madibo in midfield in Qatars one change from their 0-0 draw with El Salvador in Los Angeles on June 6.Left-winger Akram Afif, who plays for Qatar Stars League club Al Sadd, is a two-time Asian Footballer of the Year.Qatar starting XI: Mahmoud Abunada, Ayoub Al Oui, Pedro Miguel, Boualem Khoukhi, Homam El Amin, Jassem Gaber, Assim Madibo, Issa Laye, Edmlson Junior, Yusuf Abdurisag, Akram AfifQatar substitutes: Meshaal Barsham, Lucas Mendes, Abdulaziz Hatem, Ahmed Alaa, Mohammed Muntari, Hassan Al Haydos, Karim Boudiaf, Ahmed Al Ganehi, Sultan Al Brake, Almoez Ali, Ahmed Fathy, Salah Zakaria, Tahsin Mohammed, Al Hashmi Al Hussain, Mohammad Al MannaiSwitzerland team vs QatarSwitzerland made three alterations from their 1-1 draw with Australia in San Diego a week earlier, bringing in midfielder Denis Zakaria and forwards Embolo and Ruben Vargas.Silvan Widmer, Zeki Amdouni and Eray Comert moved to the bench.Switzerland starting XI: Gregor Kobel, Denis Zakaria, Manuel Akanji, Nico Elvedi, Michel Aebischer, Remo Freuler, Granit Xhaka, Ricardo Rodriguez, Dan Ndoye, Breel Embolo, Ruben VargasSwitzerland substitutes: Yvon Mvogo, Miro Muheim, Silvan Widmer, Johan Manzambi, Ardon Jashari, Djibril Sow, Christian Fassnacht, Eray Comert, Noah Okafor, Marvin Keller, Fabian Rieder, Zeki Amdouni, Aurele Amenda, Luca Jaquez, Cedric IttenWhere to watch Qatar vs Switzerland: TV channel, live online streamQatar vs Switzerland kicked off at 20:00 BST (15:00 ET / 12:00 PT) on Saturday. In the UK, live TV coverage is on ITV1.Live streaming on a vast range of devices is available through the ITVX app.Click HERE for a full World Cup TV guideQatar vs Switzerland statsQatar finished bottom of their group on their World Cup debut as hosts in 2022, losing all three of their matches, conceding seven goals and scoring onceAmong sides to have played at least 10 games in the 2026 AFC World Cup qualifiers, Qatars 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 Qatars record marksman with 55 goals in 114 appearances but has not netted since scoring against Oman in December 2024Ghanaian-born striker Mohammed Muntari scored Qatars only World Cup goalSwitzerland last reached the quarter-finals of the World Cup in 1954, when the tournament was played on home soil. Since then, theyve never progressed past the second roundThey 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 FranceMurat Yakins side conceded a total of two goals in qualifying, having shipped 14 across six matches in their preceding Nations League campaignEmbolo was Switzerlands 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 GakpoRicardo Rodriguez is at his fourth edition of the World Cup and has started every single match at six different major tournaments Topics 2026 FIFA World Cup FIFA World Cup Qatar National Football Team Switzerland National Football Team World Cup World Cup 2026 Add us as a preferred source on Google If you enjoy reading this article, you can help support our independent football journalism by adding 101 Great Goals as a preferred source You Should Also Read England recover stolen training equipment ahead of World Cup opener Mitch Fretton 13th June, 2026 World Cup 2026: Qatar vs Switzerland confirmed line-ups and full teams Mitch Fretton 13th June, 2026 Haiti v Scotland: Line-ups, stats and preview as Clarkes men seek first World Cup win for 36 years Nicholas McGee 13th June, 2026 Qatar v Switzerland: Predicted line-ups, preview and where to watch World Cup Group B clash Jon Fisher 13th June, 2026 Australia v Turkey: Line-ups, stats and preview as Socceroos aim to upset Group D odds Nicholas McGee 13th June, 2026 World Cup 2026: Full list of confirmed teams, fixtures, groups and results Ben Miller 13th June, 2026
