Minutes after Switzerland secured passage to the 2026 FIFA World Cup quarterfinals at BC Place in Vancouver, manager Murat Yakin went to his captain, Granit Xhaka, and the pair embraced as Xhaka wept. A 0-0 draw with Colombia was settled on penalties, sending Switzerland into the last eight for the first time since they hosted the tournament in 1954.
The Swiss will meet reigning champions Argentina at Arrowhead Stadium on Saturday. Argentina have produced high-scoring games throughout the tournament, netting three goals in all but one of their five matches, while Switzerland have scored more than two goals only once, a 4-1 group-stage win over Bosnia-Herzegovina. Argentina edged Egypt 3-2 in the previous round.
After the shootout, Yakin told Swiss broadcaster SRF that the victory required ‘‘an incredible fight’’ and ‘‘cleverness and patience,’’ saying the decisive penalty produced ‘‘unbelievable emotions’’ and that he was ‘‘incredibly happy’’ for players, staff and fans.
Switzerland’s win also extended European representation in the last eight: six of the eight quarterfinalists are UEFA nations, the highest total for Europe at a World Cup held outside the continent since 1994 in the United States, according to tournament records. The 2026 expansion from 32 to 48 teams reduced Europe’s share of participants to 16 of 48 (33 percent), but six of those 16 have reached the quarterfinals (75 percent). All three host nations — the United States, Mexico and Canada — were eliminated in the round of 16. Argentina remain CONMEBOL’s sole representative while Morocco is the last African nation standing.
Tuesday’s match was a low-key affair: the teams’ combined expected goals (xG) after 90 minutes was 0.7, the lowest in normal time at this tournament, and Switzerland’s last shot on target came in the 32nd minute. The game finished as the third-lowest xG World Cup match on record since 1966, according to match data. Colombia came closest to winning in extra time when Jhon Lucumí’s header struck the crossbar and substitute Jáminton Campaz forced a long-range save by goalkeeper Gregor Kobel, who then produced a decisive stop in the shootout to deny Cucho Hernández after Davinson Sánchez and Manuel Akanji had both failed to score.
