June 13, 2026
SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA – JUNE 13: Boualem Khoukhi #16 of Qatar celebrates with teammates after scoring the team’s first goal during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Group B match between Qatar and Switzerland at San Francisco Bay Area Stadium on June 13, 2026 in Santa Clara, California. Fran Santiago/Getty Images/AFP (Photo by Fran Santiago / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP)
Qatar’s Boualem Khoukhi stunned Switzerland with a late equaliser as the sides played out a 1-1 draw in their opening match at the World Cup on Saturday.
A Breel Embolo penalty had broken the deadlock for Switzerland early in the first half in the San Francisco Bay Area, before the wasteful favourites were made to pay as Qatar earned their first ever point at a World Cup.
Qatar, appearing in just their second finals after hosting the 2022 World Cup, looked rusty after the war in the Middle East caused the cancellation of two of their warm-up friendlies, meaning their meeting with Switzerland was just their third match since December last year.
