Switzerland and Qatar draw 1:1 in Group B opener in Santa Clara

Just 35 seconds in, Switzerland registered the first shot on goal: Breel Embolo's effort was blocked. The first goal in this Group B match came in the 17th minute from Switzerland's Breel Embolo via penalty. Referee Said Martinez immediately pointed to the spot after Mahmoud Abunada had "slammed headfirst into" Switzerland's Remo Freuler – both players went down. Judging by the TV replays, Freuler was offside when Embolo played the pass – the penalty stood nonetheless. Embolo had only arrived in the USA two days late, "having been allowed to enter the USA two days late due to problems with his visa."

First half: Switzerland dominate

In the 6th minute, Dan Ndoye of Nottingham Forest raced onto a perfectly weighted through ball from Michel Aebischer and bore down on the Qatari goalkeeper, but Mahmoud Abunada darted quickly to his left corner. In the 10th minute, Ruben Vargas had played a precise ball into the space behind the defense, but the Nottingham Forest striker, completely unmarked, aimed for the second tier.

In the 21st minute, Denis Zakaria had a golden chance to make it 2:0 after a lightning-fast combination involving Ndoye and Embolo, but was denied by Abunada, "the Al Rayan keeper made an outstanding save." Edmilson Junior of Qatar nutmegged the Dortmund goalkeeper Gregor Kobel, but the ball got stuck on the keeper's heel. In the 43rd minute, the previously idle goalkeeper for half an hour made a foot save against Edmilson Junior.

In first-half stoppage time, the 7th minute, Boualem Khoukhi somehow scrambled Aebischer's low shot off the line. At the break, Murat Yakin's side had 65 percent possession and a 10:2 shot tally.

Second half and late equalizer

In the second half, the Swiss pushed their possession numbers above 70 percent. In the 75th minute, Vargas shot from a central-left position but lacked placement. Toward the end of the second half, Embolo received a superb pass from Johan Manzambi and slipped the ball past Abunada, but also past the left post.

The equalizer at the San Francisco Bay Area stadium came from Boualem Khoukhi's head in the 94th minute. The final score in the Group B match was a 1:1 (1:0) result, which for Qatar amounted to a point gained on the big stage. In the 1:1 (1:0) result on Saturday (13/06/2026) in San Francisco, the teams shared the spoils in a performance that justified the scoreline.

The Swiss go into the game as an established tournament side, while Qatar is looking to assert itself on the big stage once again – Qatar hosted the previous World Cup in 2022. The team coached by tactical mastermind Julen Lopetegui had little grip on the game for long stretches, but fought its way back with the late equalizer.

Empty seats and stadium atmosphere

Thousands of empty seats were visible scattered throughout Levi's Stadium during the match. Many of the empty spots were on the east side of the stadium, which gets very hot for much of the year. At kickoff, temperatures around 82 degrees Fahrenheit (28 degrees Celsius) were recorded; the day was described as unusually warm for the Bay Area in June. Entry on Saturday went smoothly, with minor queues forming several hours before kickoff.

The day before, FIFA had blamed the empty seats at the World Cup match between South Korea and the Czech Republic in Guadalajara on fans watching from the concourses. At NFL games at Levi's Stadium, spectators often arrive late because of tailgating outside the arena. Tailgating, however, is not permitted at World Cup matches at Levi's Stadium. Levi's Stadium holds 68,500 seats for NFL games and can be expanded to over 70,000 for soccer matches. A Copa America group-stage match between Brazil and Colombia two years earlier drew 70,971 spectators. Levi's Stadium hosted the Super Bowl four months before the World Cup match.

Outlook on upcoming fixtures

For the Swiss, the tournament continues on June 18 (9:00 p.m. CEST) in Los Angeles against Bosnia and Herzegovina. Qatar faces co-host Canada three hours later in Vancouver. This report was broadcast on Deutschlandfunk on 13/06/2026.

In the first Group C match, Morocco and Brazil are next to face off. The article was published on June 13, 2026 at 8:45 p.m.; the image material is from JOSH EDELSON (AFP).