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Who: Switzerland vs Colombia
Contents: 2026 FIFA World Cup – Round of 16
Location: BC Place Vancouver, Canada
Date and time: Tuesday, July 7th, 1pm (20:00 GMT)
How to follow: Get everything ready on Al Jazeera Sports from 16:45 GMT before the live text commentary stream.
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The Round of 16 of the World Cup concludes in Vancouver on Tuesday, with Switzerland and Colombia facing off, with both teams aiming for their best performance.
Colombia have established themselves as dangerous outsiders in this tournament, conceding just one goal from top of their group to reaching the last 16.
However, the South American team’s solid defense will face a difficult test against Switzerland, whose breakout star Johan Manzambi is attracting worldwide attention.
Switzerland, playing at the same venue for the third time in a row, will go into the match with a slight advantage. However, Colombia boasts a balance of attacking flair and disciplined defence, leaving Switzerland with little space and chances to exploit.
Al Jazeera tells you everything about Switzerland vs Colombia.
How did Switzerland and Colombia reach the last 16?
In Group B, Switzerland defeated Canada and Bosnia and Herzegovina and drew with Qatar to take the lead with seven points. They defeated Algeria 2-0 in the round of 32, giving them their first World Cup finals victory since 1938.
Colombia beat Uzbekistan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo and held Portugal to a draw to lead Group K with seven points. In the round of 32, they defeated Ghana 1-0.
Swiss youngster Manzambi is a man to watch.
Manzambi, a 20-year-old midfielder from Switzerland, is undoubtedly a key player in this tournament with three goals and two assists.
Although he started on the bench in his World Cup debut, the youngster has since become an integral part of Switzerland’s attack. From setting up chances to finishing them off in style, the brave Manzambi has played an all-round role for the national team.
His breakthrough performance in this tournament led coach Murat Yakin to call him “an extremely valuable and important player.”
“He’s constantly improving his performances. He’s a team player. He’s not just a player you like to watch… He’s an all-rounder. He has a lot of qualities and he still has great potential,” Yakin said.
Switzerland’s attacking line-up of Manzambi, Bril Embolo, Dan Ndoye and Ruben Vargas has been in top form, scoring eight of the team’s nine goals between them.
If he clicks again to lead his team to victory, Switzerland will advance to the quarter-finals for the first time since the tournament was held in 1954, and the fourth time in total (including 1934 and 1938).
Colombia coach praises ‘versatile’ team
Colombian coach Nestor Lorenzo has emphasized his “all-rounder” team’s ability to adapt to situations as they seek to emulate their country’s best-ever run to the last eight at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.
“I believe it is important for us to have players of that type, players who simply interpret the game and know how to behave. They know the game, they understand the game,” Lorenzo said.
“Besides the fact that they have the physical and technical ability that allows them to increase their versatility, they understand the game. They understand the different moments and that allows the team to grow. I think we have a lot of these kinds of players who are highly versatile.”
Colombia have conceded just one goal so far in the opener against Uzbekistan, but have conceded five in the same game, with Daniel Muñoz scoring twice and Bayern Munich winger Luis Diaz each scoring and assisting.
Switzerland vs Colombia prediction
Thanks to the Opta supercomputer, Colombia has a 41.9 percent chance of winning within the stipulated time, while Switzerland has a 28.2 percent chance of winning.
The model estimates a 29.9% chance of a game going into overtime.
Switzerland vs Colombia: How to watch, schedule
Switzerland: RTS, SRF, RSI (10pm CET) Colombia: Caracol, RCN Television SA (3pm BST) US: FOX, FOX One, Telemundo App, Telemundo Network, Peacock (3pm EDT) UK: STV, STV Player, ITVX, ITV1 (9pm BST)
To see the TV listings for your country, visit the FIFA TV listings schedule here.
Who will the winner face in the quarterfinals?
The winner of the Switzerland-Colombia game will face either Argentina or Egypt in the quarterfinals on July 11 in Kansas City, USA.
Switzerland vs Colombia: Head to head
Wednesday’s match between Switzerland and Colombia will be the fifth meeting in all competitions. Three of the last four meetings have been friendlies, with the most recent meeting dating back to March 2007, when Colombia won 3-1.
The only meeting between these teams was in the group stage match of the 1994 World Cup, which Colombia won 2-0.
However, Colombia’s record against European opponents this year has not been very good, with friendly losses to Croatia and France in March, and a draw with Portugal in the final group match this month.
Switzerland vs Colombia: Team news
Switzerland has a big fitness problem. Three potential players, Manzambi, Vargas and Djibril Sou, left practice early on Monday, raising questions about their availability.
“Obviously, everyone is very frustrated because if they have to end their training session early, this is a very big loss. If they can’t play, it could be a big problem for us,” coach Yakin said.
Switzerland’s Aebischer and Jaquez were sidelined with muscle injuries, while Colombia’s Cordoba was sidelined with a groin injury.
Switzerland’s expected lineup
(4-2-3-1): Kobel (goalie). Zakaria, Elvedi, Akanji, Rodriguez. Freuler, Xhaka. Ndoye, Manzambi, Vargas. Emboro
Colombia’s projected lineup
(4-3-3): Vargas (goalie). Muñoz, Sanchez, Lucumi, Mojica. Puerta, Lerma, Arias. Rodriguez, Suarez, Diaz
