Colombia knocked Switzerland out of the 2026 World Cup in a penalty shootout
The Colombian national team became the last team to advance to the quarterfinals of the 2026 World Cup after defeating Switzerland in a penalty shootout. Neither regulation nor extra time produced a winner, so the fate of the spot in the next round was decided by penalty kicks.
In the group stage, the “Red Crosses” earned seven points and comfortably won Group B. In the first round of the playoffs, the Swiss faced the Algerian national team. Strikers Embolo and N’Doye secured the European team’s 2–0 victory.
Meanwhile, the “Coffee Makers” triumphed in Group K, also earning seven points without a single loss. In the Round of 32, Nestor Lorenzo’s team defeated Ghana (1–0). Midfielder Arias scored the winning goal.
In the opening minutes, the “Coffee Makers” took control of the ball. The Swiss, on the other hand, were happy to play second fiddle. However, the first real chance didn’t come until just past the halfway point of the half—Puerta forced Kobel to make a save with a diagonal shot aimed at the top corner.
After the water break, the Swiss national team responded. Rieder was unable to beat Vargas with a shot to the near corner following a pass from Frohler. The first 45 minutes ended with a series of attacks by the Latin Americans, though none were particularly dangerous.
However, at the start of the second half, Murat Yakin’s players were more active. First, Sou missed an opportunity to shoot from the center of the penalty area. Later, Reider’s free kick just missed the near top corner.
The Colombian national team responded with a half-chance by Suárez. The forward stole the ball from Jaka near the opponent’s penalty area but was unable to get a clear shot off. After the second water break, however, both teams switched to playing extremely cautiously.
Ultimately, the match went into overtime. The Colombians threatened Kobel twice. First, Lukumi headed a cross from Díaz onto the crossbar, and then Campas failed to beat the goalkeeper with a long-range shot. The “Red Crosses” responded with a chance by Amdouni—Vargas neutralized the threat.
Later, Jatsi lacked accuracy on a long-range shot. Meanwhile, Campas lost his bearings in the opponent’s penalty area after a rebound and sent the ball over the goal from a prime scoring position. The match went to a penalty shootout. The Colombian national team missed two penalties to Switzerland’s one and was eliminated by Switzerland in the quarterfinals.
As a reminder, Messi has now surpassed Maradona in World Cup appearances.
Brazil’s elimination from the 2026 World Cup following a 1–2 loss to Norway in the round of 16 was met with intense emotions in the locker room. According to Brazilian media reports, Neymar, with tears in his eyes, addressed his teammates and the coaching staff, thanking everyone for the journey they had shared.
