Qatar scored in the fourth minute of stoppage time Saturday to draw 1-1 with Switzerland in their Group B opener at the 2026 World Cup, securing the first World Cup point in Qatar's history as a competing nation.
Defender Boualem Khoukhi headed home the equalizer deep in injury time at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California, sending several Qatari players to the ground in celebration while others ran to embrace their teammates. The result denied Switzerland a victory despite the Swiss dominating much of the match, according to Al Jazeera.
Switzerland had taken the lead through Breel Embolo, who converted a penalty kick in the 17th minute. Embolo calmly sent the ball into the upper left corner after Qatar goalkeeper Mahmoud Abunada fouled him in the box. Abunada received a yellow card on the play and lay face down appearing motionless for a couple of minutes before he began to move his legs and was eventually able to stand.
Embolo's appearance in the match came after a complicated visa situation. The 29-year-old forward had been denied boarding the team's flight to the United States on June 2 because of a 2018 criminal conviction that was only finalized in April. He applied for an urgent visa at the United States embassy in Bern on June 3, and was eventually cleared to enter the country just over a week before the match.
Switzerland controlled the possession game on what was described as an unseasonably warm June afternoon, with sprinklers running during a first-half break. Swiss goalkeeper Gregor Kobel made a key save in the second minute after Edmilson Junior broke through the defense for a one-on-one opportunity. Kobel was called on again in the 90th minute on a close-range attempt by Ahmed Alaaeldin.
The stadium was not filled to capacity. There were thousands of empty seats scattered throughout Levi's Stadium, which serves as the home of the NFL's San Francisco 49ers and hosted the Super Bowl only four months ago. Brazil and Colombia drew an attendance of 70,971 at the Copa America two years ago at the same venue.
Switzerland came into the tournament with momentum. The Swiss went unbeaten through qualifying against Sweden, Kosovo, and Slovenia, producing four wins and two draws to secure their sixth straight World Cup appearance. The team has not missed a World Cup since 2002. Four years ago, Switzerland reached the round of 16 before losing 6-1 to Portugal, a result that prompted midfielder Xherdan Shaqiri to apologize to the fans.
Qatar, the Asian Cup holders, had never won a World Cup point before Saturday's draw. The result leaves Group B with both teams holding one point each heading into the next round of matches.
