Xhaka: "A very cool group" Duel against Italy possible: Switzerland will face these nations at the 2026 World Cup

Switzerland has been drawn into a feasible group for the 2026 World Cup. The national team will play against Canada and Qatar - and the winner of the UEFA play-off between Italy, Northern Ireland, Wales and Bosnia-Herzegovina.

Switzerland will be drawn into Group B at the 2026 FIFA World Cup draw in Washington - together with co-hosts Canada, Qatar and a European qualifier.

This is an extremely favorable draw for Murat Yakin's team. Switzerland, number 17 in the world rankings, will face numbers 27 (Canada) and 51 (Qatar). The Swiss will not find out their fourth group opponent until March. Switzerland will therefore already be involved in the FIFA World Cup in the first three days - and will play their matches in Canada and on the US West Coast.

Yakin, Xhaka and Freuler are looking forward to a "cool group"

"Certainly an attractive and good group in which we definitely want to qualify for the knockout round," said national team coach Murat Yakin after the draw. "We can expect a highly motivated host who will have huge support in every game. Qatar is the most difficult team to assess what we can expect in terms of play. And then there's a strong European team that we know well. We as a team and the fans can look forward to some great games."

National team captain Granit Xhaka also speaks of a "very cool group with interesting opponents". "Of course it will be something special to play against the home team in Canada. The atmosphere will be great."

Remo Freuler says: "Of course it's nice to be able to play against a host team. The atmosphere will be awesome. So Canada is a great draw. No matter who it is - the opponent coming out of the playoffs will be very attractive. It's difficult to predict how Qatar will play, but they've already shown that they have quality at the last World Cup. All in all, it's a great group, with the highlight of playing against a host country."

Hammer group for France

Germany won't be complaining about their group either. The Germans face Ecuador, Côte d'Ivoire and World Cup newcomers Curaçao. The French have a tougher time. The 2018 world champions face Norway and Senegal. Other top duels are England against Croatia, Spain against Uruguay and Portugal against Colombia.

The draw in the ticker

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Swiss World Cup group is complete

Switzerland's final World Cup opponent will be the winner of the play-off tournament in March - Italy, Northern Ireland, Wales or Bosnia-Herzegovina.

Qatar is Switzerland's next opponent

Switzerland's first game at the World Cup will be against Qatar.

Switzerland will face Canada!

Switzerland's first World Cup opponent is known. The Nati will be drawn in Group B and will face Canada!

The draw begins

Once again there is a musical interruption, lots of talking and the odd trailer before the World Cup participants are introduced. Now the draw can finally get underway (see box above the ticker).

The first balls are opened

First up are the hosts. Mexico will be drawn in Group A, Canada in Group B and the USA in Group D.

The draw pots at a glance

• Drawing pot 1: Canada, Mexico, USA, Spain, Argentina, France, England, Brazil, Portugal, Netherlands, Belgium, Germany.
• Pot 2: Croatia, Morocco, Colombia, Uruguay, Switzerland, Japan, Senegal, Iran, South Korea, Ecuador, Austria, Australia.
• Pot 3: Norway, Panama, Egypt, Algeria, Scotland, Paraguay, Tunisia, Ivory Coast, Uzbekistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, South Africa.
• Lottery pot 4: Jordan, Cape Verde, Ghana, Curaçao, Haiti, New Zealand, UEFA Playoff A (Italy, Northern Ireland, Wales, Bosnia-Herzegovina), UEFA Playoff B (Ukraine, Sweden, Poland, Albania), UEFA Playoff C (Turkey, Romania, Slovakia, Kosovo), UEFA Playoff D (Denmark, North Macedonia, Czech Republic, Ireland), FIFA Playoff 1 (New Caledonia, Jamaica, Democratic Republic of Congo), FIFA Playoff 2 (Bolivia, Suriname, Iraq).

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Who will Switzerland face at the World Cup?

Now it's slowly but surely all about the sport. The draw pots are being prepared. Donald Trump is also in action as a lottery fairy. Just like Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney and Mexico's President Claudia Sheinbaum.

Donald Trump wins the Peace Prize

The FIFA Peace Prize is awarded for the first time. Unsurprisingly, it goes to Donald Trump. "This is one of the greatest honors of my life," says Trump and thanks Infantino: "Gianni is doing a great job."

Robbie Williams and Nicole Scherzinger sing

The Nati fans will have to wait a while before they know Switzerland's World Cup group. First there's music once again: Robbie Williams and Nicole Scherzinger take to the stage.

"USA! USA! USA!"

Of course, Infantino does not end his speech without getting the audience fired up once again. First there are echoes of "USA! USA! USA!" echoed through the hall, followed by "Canada! Canada! Canada!" and finally "Mexico! Mexico! Mexico!"

Trump is also on site

FIFA President Gianni Infantino welcomes the audience and introduces some prominent guests. Among them is US President Donald Trump.

Klum and Hart present the draw

Model Heidi Klum and comedian Kevin Hart guide the audience through the show. Annoying for SRF viewers, however: there are sound problems, the two can barely be heard.

The show is about to start

The lottery balls are ready. The draw will start shortly. Before that, Italian singer Andrea Bocelli performs his vocal skills.

Switzerland faces a tough group

Murat Yakin's team faces the threat of heavyweights such as defending champions Argentina, European champions Spain, France and Brazil, particularly in pot 1. The situation in pot 4 is explosive, with not only the supposedly small players but possibly also Italy, if the "Squadra Azzurra" can still qualify via the play-offs. Find out more here.

The draw pots at a glance

Pot 1: Canada, Mexico, USA, Spain, Argentina, France, England, Brazil, Portugal, Netherlands, Belgium, Germany.

Pot 2: Croatia, Morocco, Colombia, Uruguay, Switzerland, Japan, Senegal, Iran, South Korea, Ecuador, Austria, Australia.

Pot 3: Norway, Panama, Egypt, Algeria, Scotland, Paraguay, Tunisia, Ivory Coast, Uzbekistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, South Africa.

Lottery pot 4: Jordan, Cape Verde, Ghana, Curaçao, Haiti, New Zealand, UEFA Playoff A (Italy, Northern Ireland, Wales, Bosnia-Herzegovina), UEFA Playoff B (Ukraine, Sweden, Poland, Albania), UEFA Playoff C (Turkey, Romania, Slovakia, Kosovo), UEFA Playoff D (Denmark, North Macedonia, Czech Republic, Ireland), FIFA Playoff 1 (New Caledonia, Jamaica, Democratic Republic of Congo), FIFA Playoff 2 (Bolivia, Suriname, Iraq).

New rules

The mechanics of the draw follow new rules. The 48 teams will be divided into twelve groups of four (A to L). The following applies: a maximum of two European teams per group, all other continental associations may only be represented once. One interesting innovation concerns the supposedly big teams: the seeding list has been designed in such a way that the top favorites Argentina and Spain - provided they win their groups - can meet in the final at the earliest.

As in 2022, the pairings will be known immediately after the draw, but not yet the exact match times and stadium allocations. These are expected to be announced by FIFA at the weekend.

You can win a national team jersey here

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Draw at 6 pm

The draw for the World Cup groups will take place in the USA on Friday at 6 pm. Stay on the ball here!

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