Switzerland v Algeria: World Cup 2026 last 32 – live | 2026 World Cup
Important events
Algeria XI
23 Luca Zidane (gk); 17 Rafik Belghali, 2 Aissa Mandi, 21 Ramy Bensebaini, 15 Rayan Aït-Nouri; 6 Ramiz Zerrouki, 22 Ibrahim Maza, 8 Houssem Aouar, 19 Nabil Bentaleb; 7 Riyad Mahrez (c), 10 Farès Chaïbi.
Coach Vladimir Petkovic recalled goalkeeper Zidane after he was dropped for the match against Austria with Oussama Benbot being selected, while Aït-Nouri is also back in the starting XI in place of Jaouen Hadjam. Zerrouki strengthens the field with Amine Gouiri named among the substitutes.
Switzerland XI
1 Gregor Kobel; 6 Denis Zakaria, 4 Nico Elvedi, 5 Manuel Akanji, 13 Ricardo Rodriguez; 11 Dan Ndoye, 10 Granit Xhaka (c), 8 Remo Freuler; 17 Ruben Vargas, 7 Breel Embolo, 9 Johan Manzambi.
Switzerland looks set to play in 4-3-3 with veterans Xhaka and Freuler holding the field while Manzambi, Embolo and Vargas attacked threateningly.
Head coach Murat Yakin goes with Zakaria in place of Luca Jaquez, and returns Ndoye to the starting XI ahead of Djibril Sow.
Algeria is in the knockout stage for only the second time in the World Cupthey made it to the last 16 in 2014 after their three previous appearances in the tournament ended in the group stage. Jack Larkin joined the Algerian community in a Sydney restaurant to ride the emotional energy and pandemonium of their unforgettable draw with Austria…
double quotation mark There is panic in the air at Cafe Tanja because a defeat will mean the elimination of Algeria, who have been waiting for the chance to play against Austria since the “Disgrace of Gijón”, the 1982 World Cup match where West Germany won 1-0 against Austria and 1-0 against Algeria, who were eliminated by a goal.
Portugal advanced to the last 16 after being eliminated after defeating Croatia in the oldest game of all time at Toronto Stadium. Paul MacInnes I had the pleasure of witnessing firsthand the chaos and high drama…
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Rafael Leão fell to his knees. His cross was just whipped into the net by Gonçalo Ramos who placed Portugal in the last 16 of the World Cup. Leão’s expression was not one of joy, but relief.Billed as the last dance of two football icons, it was Luka Modrić who, at the age of 40, had to leave what would be his last World Cup. Cristiano Ronaldo, on the other hand, plays, and both scored a goal and was even substituted in a game of endless incident. But this was a contest about more than two people, who were far from the most influential players on the show. Instead this was a classic World Cup battle between strong teams, with momentum swinging first one way and then the other and back again. Neither side was willing to give up on their dream, and Portugal got lucky in the end.
Johan Manzambi is no longer Switzerland’s secret weapon the 20-year-old scored three goals, and added an assist, in the group stage. There are suggestions that the versatile midfielder could make a move from Freiburg to Newcastle as he could replace Sandro Tonali.
Switzerland did what they had to do as they went through the group stage in their favourwhile Algeria have been on a rollercoaster ride in their three matches partly due to defensive failures.
An unbeaten but not very convincing start to the campaign was not enough for Switzerland to hold on to its first place in the power rankings. On the other hand, Algeria is trending in the opposite direction.
double quotation mark The progress of Johan Manzambi and Switzerland is on the same track; both started slowly before drilling.
On the other side of Canada, the fiercest clash of the last 32 between Portugal and Croatia has just reached a very impressive crescendo. Gonçalo Ramos headed home in stoppage time to give Portugal their first lead of the match. But there was still time for VAR and the referee to deny Croatia a gas-guzzling equalizer.
Beau Dure trying to keep up with all the drama and reaction to Portugal’s win over Croatia.
Background
Martin Pegan
Hello and welcome to the live streaming of the World Cup match between Switzerland and Algeria at BC Place Vancouver. Kick-off in this last-32 match is 8pm local/11pm EDT/4am BST/1pm AEST – or 4am in Algiers and 5am in Berne.
Switzerland took some time to warm up to the tournament when they dropped a long drawn game against Qatar. But they steamrolled Bosnia and Herzegovina and finished the group stage unbeaten and locked in top spot with a win over fellow hosts Canada.
Algeria had a fantastic trip to the last 32. There was no shame in losing and they lost to Argentina before coming from behind to beat Jordan. But it was their clash with Austria, and the opportunity to avenge the Digrace of Gijón, that will live longest in the memory. In the best game of the group stage, Algeria came from behind again, this time not once but twice. They ended up going ahead, putting one foot in the knockout stage, when Riyad Mahrez scored the second of the game in stoppage time. Another twist was to come as Austria found time to equalise, but by then Algeria had done enough to advance to the next round as one of the eight third-placed teams. This placement has made Algeria meet Switzerland in the last 32, rather than meeting Spain early, Colombia or Ghana will now meet the winner of this match at BC Place Vancouver.
Algeria is determined to win for the first time in the knockout phase of the World Cup Vladimir Petković has guided the team he coached for seven years, while the veteran Mahrez remains a spark on the field even at the age of 35. Switzerland, on the other hand, can turn to a young attack as Johan Manzambi leads the way and enjoys the competition.
I will be back soon with line up and team news – and the latest from the World Cup. In the meantime, get in touch with any questions, thoughts and predictions. You can email me, or find me on Bluesky @martinpegan.bsky.social. Let’s get into it!
