Qatar scored a stoppage-time goal to earn a shocking 1-1 draw with Group B favorites Switzerland on Saturday, June 13th, 2026.
Under pressure from Boualem Khoukhi, Switzerland’s Miro Muheim was adjudged to have scored an own goal in the fourth minute of injury time to give Qatar their first-ever point at the World Cup in front of 67,966 spectators at San Fransisco Bay Levi’s Stadium.
Several of the Qatari players fell to the ground in celebration of the late goal as others ran to each other to embrace.
“I was very proud about today … our mentality, the discipline they showed today,” Qatar coach Julen Lopetegui said. “We needed to have our plan we needed to fulfill. We were a little bit lucky sometimes, but you need to believe and to want to have this belief and bit of luck in life and in football.”
Breel Embolo scored for Switzerland from the penalty spot in the first half just over a week after being cleared to enter the U.S. following a visa delay.
Embolo was fouled by Qatar goalkeeper Mahmoud Abunada, who received a yellow card on the play.
Embolo calmly sent his penalty into the upper left corner in the 17th minute, it sent the red-clad Swiss fans into a dancing frenzy in the stands.
The 29-year-old forward applied for an urgent visa at the United States embassy in Bern on June 3, one day after he was denied boarding the team’s flight to travel for his third World Cup because of a 2018 criminal conviction that was only finalized in April.
Switzerland had 26 shots on goal, their most ever recorded in a World Cup game — dating back to 1966 — but failed to capitalize on multiple other scoring chances.
“Every draw feels like a loss,” Switzerland midfielder Granit Xhaka said. “We’re looking at ourselves. This performance was not good enough today to win.”
It was the fourth-latest game-tying goal in regulation time in World Cup history.
