Qatar earns first FIFA World Cup point with late draw against Switzerland; check player ratings

Qatar’s Boualem Khoukhi stunned Switzerland with a late equalizer as the sides played out a 1-1 draw in their opening World Cup match on Saturday.

A penalty from Breel Embolo had broken the deadlock for Switzerland early in the first half in the San Francisco Bay Area, before the wasteful favorite was made to pay as Qatar earned its first ever point at a World Cup.

Qatar, appearing in only its second final after hosting the 2022 World Cup, looked rusty after the war in the Middle East forced the cancellation of two of its friendlies, meaning their meeting with Switzerland was only their third since December last year.

And for most of the match they were outclassed as Switzerland scored 26 shots before 35-year-old Khoukhi’s stoppage-time header sparked a wild celebration on the Qatar bench four minutes into the match.

It was also a milestone for boss Julen Lopetegui as he coached his first World Cup match.

The 59-year-old was due to coach his native Spain in the 2018 edition in Russia but was sacked just days before the start of the tournament after it was announced he had agreed to take over from Real Madrid after the World Cup.

The Swiss are trying to reach the knockout stages for the fourth time in a row, but their inability to finish a match they dominated will worry coach Murat Yakin.

Manuel Akanji gave Qatar the first big chance of the match in the second minute when his defensive error sent Edmilson Junior through, but he could only shoot tamely at Gregor Kobel.

That outlier woke up the Swiss, who were awarded a penalty after 13 minutes when goalkeeper Mahmoud Abunada crashed into Remo Freuler despite a suspicion of offside and after a four-minute delay, Embolo sent the goalkeeper the wrong way from the spot.

The rest of the opening period was one-way traffic towards the Qatar box, but Edmilson almost caught the Swiss cold just before half-time, drawing a right-footed save from Kobel at the end of a rare foray forward.

Under a blazing Californian sun, the chances dried up in the second period, with the standout moments being a Granit

But Switzerland ultimately paid for their profligacy when Khoukhi came in at the back post to score the equalizer in the 94th minute.

Switzerland plays Bosnia and Herzegovina in Los Angeles on Thursday, while Qatar meets co-host Canada in Vancouver on the same day.

PLAYER RATINGS

Qatar: Mahmud Abunada (6.2/10), Ayoub Al-Oui (6.4/10), Pedro Miguel (6.9/10), Boualem Khoukhi (8.3/10), Homam Ahmed (7.6/10), Jassem Gaber Abdulsallam (6.1/10), Issa Laye (6.8/10), Edmilson Junior (6.7/10), Assim Madibo (6.5/10), Akram Afif (7.2/10), Yousuf Abdelrazzaq (6.3/10)

subtitles: Ahmed Fathy (6.6/10), Karim Boudiaf (6.2/10), Ahmed Alaaeldin (6.4/10), Mohammed Manai (6.0/10), Hassan Al-Haydos (6.8/10)

Switzerland: Gregor Kobel (6.7/10), Nico Elvedi (7.0/10), Manuel Akanji (7.4/10), Ricardo Rodriguez (7.1/10), Michel Aebischer (6.9/10), Remo Freuler (7.3/10), Granit Xhaka (7.5/10), Denis Zakaria (6.5/10), Breel Ndoye (6/10), Dan. Embolo (7.8/10), Rubén Vargas (7.2/10)

subtitles: Johan Manzambi (6.2/10), Fabian Rieder (6.4/10), Zeki Amdouni (6.1/10), Ardon Jashari (6.0/10), Miro Muheim (6.1/10)

(With input from AFP)

Published on June 14, 2026