37 places separate Qatar and Switzerland in the FIFA World Rankings, so it’s no surprise that the latter are overwhelming favorites to win their Group B encounter at the 2026 World Cup.
Qatar made history for all the wrong reasons four years ago. Hosting the tournament, it finished bottom of Group A after losing to the Netherlands, Senegal and Ecuador, marking the worst performance by any host nation in the history of the World Cup.
Expectations aren’t much higher this time round, though opportunity knocks after Canada and Bosnia & Herzegovina shared the spoils in a 1–1 draw in Toronto on Friday. For Switzerland, it’s a great opportunity to cruise through to the knockout stages, though one win in its last five games is less than ideal preparation for a deep run in North America.
