Switzerland End 88-Year Wait With Historic World Cup Knockout Victory Over Algeria
Switzerland ended an 88-year wait for a FIFA World Cup knockout victory after beating Algeria 2-0 to book their place in the last 16 of the 2026 tournament.
Goals from Breel Embolo and Dan Ndoye secured a comfortable victory for Murat Yakin’s side in Vancouver and helped Switzerland achieve their first World Cup knockout win since defeating Germany in 1938.
The Swiss made a bright start and took the lead after just 10 minutes thanks to a brilliant piece of play from exciting youngster Johan Manzambi. The Freiburg winger beat his marker with skill and pace before delivering a perfect cutback for Rennes striker Embolo, who finished from close range.
Switzerland doubled their advantage just 46 seconds into the second half when Nottingham Forest winger Ndoye produced a composed finish inside the penalty area to put his side firmly in control.
The victory was another historic moment for Switzerland, who scored more than one goal in a World Cup knockout match for the first time since their famous 7-5 defeat to Austria in the 1954 quarter-finals.
Algeria, who were hoping to record their first-ever victory in the World Cup knockout stages, struggled to create clear opportunities. Their best chance came before half-time when Fares Chaibi’s weak effort was comfortably saved by Swiss goalkeeper Gregor Kobel.
The North Africans rarely threatened after the break as Switzerland controlled the game with confidence and experience.
Switzerland nearly added a third goal late in the match when Fabian Rieder found himself with an open goal at the back post, but he mishit his effort straight at Algeria goalkeeper Luca Zidane.
The victory means Switzerland have now reached the World Cup last 16 for the fourth consecutive tournament and will face the winners of the Colombia versus Ghana match on 7 July at BC Place in Vancouver.
While captain Granit Xhaka marked his 150th international appearance with another impressive display, it was 20-year-old Johan Manzambi who once again stole the spotlight.
The young winger’s brilliant run and assist for the opening goal highlighted his growing importance to the Swiss team. Having already scored three goals during the group stage, Manzambi registered his second assist of the tournament.
According to Opta, Manzambi has become the first Swiss player to be directly involved in five goals at a World Cup since detailed records began in 1966. At just 20 years and 261 days old, he is also the youngest player from any nation to achieve that feat since 1966.
With performances like this, Manzambi is quickly becoming one of the breakout stars of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
