Former NBA player Shaquille O’Neal holds up the team name of Switzerland during the draw for the 2026 football World Cup at the Kennedy Center in Washington on Friday.
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Switzerland were “not unlucky” when the draw for the 2026 World Cup was made in Washington, DC, on Friday, according to Swiss public broadcaster RTS. In Group B, they will face Canada, Qatar and a play-off team, which could be Italy.
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Swiss manager Murat Yakin and his team can smile, RTS said. Once again, Switzerland (17th in the FIFA rankings) have avoided coming up against overly formidable opponents.
“It’s an attractive and definitely manageable group,” Yakin said. “Now that the draw has been made, we need to plan our trip and find the ideal base camp.”
The tournament, co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico, comprises 48 teams split into 12 groups of four. To qualify for the knockout round of 32, a country needs to finish in the top two of its group or be one of eight best-performing third-placed teams.
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Canada are 27th in the FIFA rankings, Qatar 51st. The Qataris lost all three of their matches on home soil in 2022. Switzerland’s third opponent will be Italy, Northern Ireland, Wales or Bosnia-Herzegovina, who are all having to qualify via play-offs.
The Swiss will begin their World Cup journey on June 13 in San Francisco. Switzerland will play in Canada and on the west coast of the US. The schedule will be published by FIFA at 6pm on Saturday.
Adapted from French by AI/ts
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