Will Switzerland get off to a strong start?

The Swiss definitely imagined their dress rehearsal for the 2026 World Cup opener would go differently. After a disappointing performance, they could only manage a lackluster 1-1 draw against Australia, which upset captain Granit Xhaka so much that he harshly criticized his team after the final whistle. It’s quite possible, however, that the former Leverkusen player’s emotional outburst came at exactly the right time, and that the prediction of a “Nati” victory will come true on Saturday evening in the Qatar vs. Switzerland match.

Logically, this is also supported by the fact that the Qatar squad is considered one of the biggest underdogs in this tournament. For the first time ever, the 2022 host nation has qualified on its own merits for the world’s most important soccer tournament. However, their form is abysmal. In 2026, for example, they haven’t managed a single win yet. Meanwhile, the qualitative disadvantages in Group B at the 2026 World Cup are obvious anyway.

Given that the odds for a Swiss victory on the 1X2 market are very low compared to Qatar’s, some creativity (or a handicap) is needed to place suitable bets. For example, those who believe the favorites will win by a margin of at least two goals can secure odds of up to 1.65 at bet365.

Qatar vs. Switzerland AI Prediction

The artificial intelligence also clearly believes that the Swiss will win their opening match. In fact, the AI expects only three other nations to score more goals on the first matchday than the “Nati,” which has an xG value of 2.13. This contrasts with Qatar’s xG value of 0.55. This results in an expected goal difference of 1.57, which means that the Qatar vs. Switzerland AI prediction also points to the handicap (-1.5) in favor of Xhaka and Co.

Qatar – Stats & Current Form

The star of the Qatari national team is clearly the coach. Julen Lopetegui once coached major clubs like Real Madrid and FC Porto and was also head coach of the Spanish national team. However, the now 59-year-old has had to significantly lower his expectations since then.

Is Qatar merely a point-scoring opportunity?

This is also underscored by the Gulf nation’s record so far under the Spaniard’s leadership. They have won only two of twelve international matches since the summer of 2025. In the current calendar year, the 2022 World Cup host has yet to secure a single victory.

Most recently, they suffered a 0-1 loss to Ireland and a 0-0 draw against El Salvador. The Wine Reds are certainly not brimming with confidence. A team that has failed to score in four of its last five international matches and has set itself the telling goal of being “competitive” in the group stage certainly does not strike fear into anyone’s heart.

Nevertheless, it must be noted that the typical underdogs who travel to the World Cup solely to suffer heavy defeats are virtually nonexistent in world soccer these days. Even the Qataris are capable of sitting deep, throwing themselves into every ball with everything they’ve got, and making life difficult for their opponents with a crowded defense.

Switzerland – Statistics & Current Form

As the undefeated winner of its qualifying group, the Swiss national team confidently prevailed against Sweden, Kosovo, and Slovenia and is now considered the favorite in its World Cup group alongside Canada, Qatar, and Bosnia. Historically, Switzerland is one of the most established World Cup nations, but has not reached the quarterfinals since its appearances in 1934, 1938, and 1954.

Nevertheless, the team has established itself as a reliable tournament participant in recent decades and regularly advances past the group stage. Their performance at EURO 2024, in particular, has been encouraging. It wasn’t until the quarterfinals that their run came to an end against England in a penalty shootout.

Switzerland is very hard to beat

It would be wrong to reduce the Swiss national team to a few standout individual players. Instead, it is a well-functioning collective that coach Murat Yakin has shaped over the years. Their form is also very solid. The 3-4 loss to Germany in Basel was their only defeat looking back over the past 14 international matches. Nevertheless, at least since the 1-1 draw against Australia in the final warm-up match, there have been a few question marks that still need to be addressed and taken into account when considering the Qatar vs. Switzerland betting odds.

Even Granit Xhaka, the undisputed leader of the Swiss, was not very pleased with his team’s performance and subsequently criticized his teammates publicly. That is exactly what is expected from such an experienced captain, who won the double with Leverkusen and led newly promoted Sunderland to European competition last season. I could even well imagine that Xhaka will lead the way on Saturday night and—for example, with a penalty kick—get his name on the scoresheet.

Qatar – Switzerland Head-to-Head Record

The head-to-head history between these two nations is brief. They have only crossed paths once so far. In the winter of 2018 in Lugano, when Qatar sensationally won 1-0, causing a huge upset. All in all, the Swiss actually have a negative record against the Wine Reds. However, there is a high probability that this can be corrected on Saturday evening.

Qatar – Switzerland Prediction

On paper, this matchup is one of the most one-sided on Matchday 1 of the 2026 World Cup. Qatar is participating in a final tournament for only the second time—this is the first time they’ve qualified through their own sporting merit. However, Lopetegui’s squad is still waiting for its first win in the 2026 calendar year. Most recently, there were disappointing performances against Ireland and El Salvador. Now, the underdogs face a completely different caliber of opponent in the Swiss, a team that struggles immensely to create and convert scoring opportunities.

I am therefore firmly convinced that Yakin’s squad will get off to a perfect start and secure a confident victory on Saturday evening. They’re in good form, the quality of the team and the individual players is significantly higher, and experience also tips the scales in favor of the Swiss. I’m therefore going with the Qatar vs. Switzerland tip on the favorite’s handicap win (-1.5). I’m betting six units on the 1.65 odds from bet365.