Having gone from hosts to hopefuls, Qatar face a Swiss side lining up in a sixth consecutive World Cup in this Group B opener.
Group B
Sunday, 14 June | San Francisco Bay Area Stadium
Kick-off time
03:00 (GMT+8)
The match
Having handed over the hosting baton, Qatar secured passage to their second World Cup after an epic, 18-match, qualification phase in Asia. While Akram Afif and Co are chasing a first point at the tournament, Switzerland are looking to shake off a run of early knockout stage elimination. Lining up for a sixth consecutive edition, the Swiss have departed at the Round of 16 in four of those five outings. This will be the first World Cup meeting between the nations.
Possible Qatar starting XI
Barsham; Al-Oui, Pedro Miguel, Khoukhi, Hommam Al Amin; Madibo, Fathy, Jassem Gaber; Afif, Edmilson, Almoez Ali.
Possible Switzerland starting XI
Kobel; Widmer, Akanji, Elvedi, Rodriguez; Xhaka, Freuler; Ndoye, Rieder, Vargas; Embolo.
San Francisco Bay Area Stadium
Located in the city of Santa Clara, San Francisco Bay Area Stadium is one of the newer venues that will be featured at the global showpiece and will host six World Cup matches, including five group fixtures and one knockout game.
Home to the NFL’s San Francisco 49ers since its opening in 2014, the stadium hosted Super Bowl 60 in February, where Bad Bunny headlined the half-time show with support from Lady Gaga and Ricky Martin. The venue staged the first match of the Copa America Centenario in June 2016 as Colombia defeated USA, and has also hosted Wrestlemania and the 2015 NHL clash between the LA Kings and San Jose Sharks.