Switzerland booked their place in the FIFA World Cup 2026 last 16 with a comfortable 2-0 win over Algeria on Friday, extending their winning run in the tournament to three matches.
The Swiss will now face either Colombia or Ghana in the next round after another composed display in Vancouver.
Algeria started brightly and enjoyed some early possession, but they struggled to create clear chances. Switzerland took control as the first half went on and made their pressure count through Breel Embolo.
The goal came after a brilliant run from Johan Manzambi. The 20-year-old carried the ball from inside the Algeria half, beat Aissa Mandi with pace and strength, and squared a simple pass for Embolo to score from close range.
Switzerland doubled their lead just 46 seconds into the second half after a costly defensive mistake by Algeria.
Ramy Bensebaini failed to clear the danger and passed the ball straight back to Denis Zakaria. After another poor clearance from Rafik Belghali, Dan Ndoye collected the loose ball and fired a low shot into the bottom corner. Goalkeeper Luca Zidane got a hand to the effort but could not keep it out.
Switzerland continued to create chances and nearly added a third late in the match. Fabian Rieder missed an open goal from close range after failing to make clean contact with the ball, but the miss did not affect the result.
The victory continued Switzerland’s impressive campaign. They have now gone unbeaten in four matches, including wins over Bosnia and Herzegovina, Canada and Algeria.
For Algeria, the defeat ended hopes of reaching the World Cup last 16 for the first time. They showed promise in spells but defensive errors and a lack of quality in attack proved costly.
Switzerland will now look to continue their impressive run when they face either Colombia or Ghana for a place in the quarter-finals.
