Group B · Matchday 1

QatarvsSwitzerland

2026-06-13·12:00 localPredictions finalised

Snapshot · 2026-07-14Model 1.0.0Final prediction · locked 13 Jun, 16:02 UTCQatar·Switzerland·Head-to-head →·
Full time · forecast gradedQatar 1 1 SwitzerlandThe locked pre-match forecast has been graded against this result.See the calibration recap →

The forecast

Match-outcome probability

  • Qatar win
    8.4%
  • Draw
    18.4%
  • Switzerland win
    73.2%

A clash of identities: Qatar's low-block approach meets Switzerland's pragmatic style in a fixture the model gives to Switzerland at 81%.

Rank checkFIFA ranks Qatar #51 in the world; the model ranks them #39 in this tournament field, 12 places higher than the FIFA list suggests. All 48 compared →
Likeliest score0–213.5%
First goal0-15'41.4%
Both teams score43.2%
Over 2.5 goals62.2%
Top scorerRodriguez7.0%
Expected goals0.6 - 2.6
Loading pitch visualisation...

Why the model says this

Favoring Qatar

  • ·H2H record: 1W-0D-0L in 1 meetings

Favoring Switzerland

  • ·Elo advantage of 464 points over Qatar
  • ·Expected goals 2.46 vs 0.73

What the model can't fully price

  • ·Squad availability: 1 carrying a fitness doubt across the two squads. The forecast does not adjust for who is missing: its lineup channel currently contributes zero, so this is context the probabilities do not include.

Form check

Qatar

Steady

Qatar: 1W-2D-3L in their last 6 internationals.

1W-2D-3L in last 6

Switzerland

Steady

Switzerland: 2W-3D-1L in their last 6 internationals.

2W-3D-1L in last 6

Analysis

How it plays out

Qatar defend deep and give Switzerland the ball. The question is whether Switzerland's pragmatic approach generates enough final-third creativity to break through. Switzerland's aggressive press (PPDA 22.8) against Qatar's deeper build-up (PPDA 35.0) creates a clear territory question: can Switzerland force errors high up, or will Qatar play through the press and find space behind it?

What decides it

Qatar defend deep and limit space. Set pieces and individual errors become the most likely routes to goal. Switzerland adjust shape to the opponent. That flexibility is an asset, but it takes longer to settle into a game. The scoring threat is evenly split: Akram Afif (4.4%) and Ricardo Rodriguez (7.0%).

Off the pitch

Murat Yakin (5 years in charge of Switzerland) vs Julen Lopetegui (1 years). That tenure gap shows up in squad familiarity and set-piece coordination.

The angle

The model gives Qatar just 9.4% to win. Every World Cup produces group-stage upsets; the question is whether this fixture is one of them.

Goals & scorelines

Likeliest score 0–2 (13.5%) · xG 0.6 - 2.6

Expected goals

Qatar
0.62
Switzerland
2.59

Mean of the Dixon-Coles joint goal distribution. Same fit that produces the most-likely-scoreline list below.

Most likely scorelines

  • 0–2
    13.5%
  • 0–3
    11.7%
  • 0–1
    10.1%
  • 1–2
    8.4%
  • 0–4
    7.6%

From the Dixon-Coles joint Poisson with the low-score correction. Scorelines are listed in probability order; this is a description of the model's distribution, not a recommendation.

Most likely half-time scorelines

  • 0–1
    25.5%
  • 0–0
    20.6%
  • 0–2
    16.8%
  • 1–1
    8.6%
  • 0–3
    7.3%

Same Dixon-Coles fit as the full-time list above, with rates halved to a 45-minute window and the low-score correction applied to that 1st-half block. The 0-0 row sits higher here than at full-time because fewer minutes have elapsed.

Goal totals

  • More than 0.5 goals
    95.6%
  • More than 1.5 goals
    83.4%
  • More than 2.5 goals
    62.2%
  • More than 3.5 goals
    40.0%
  • More than 4.5 goals
    22.1%
  • More than 5.5 goals
    10.7%
  • Both teams score
    43.2%

Each row is the probability the match finishes with more than the listed number of goals. Both-teams-to-score is the probability each side scores at least once. All values are marginals of the Dixon-Coles joint goal grid that produces the scoreline list above — not market lines or any other operator construct.

Event-typed probabilities

  • Qatar clean sheetOpposing team scores zero7.5%
  • Switzerland clean sheetOpposing team scores zero53.7%

Derived from the same Dixon-Coles joint distribution as the scoreline list. These are descriptive event probabilities — see CLAUDE.md §3/§4 (formerly COMPLIANCE.md §4.2.7) for the framing the project uses.

Win-margin probability

  • Qatar by 4+
    <0.1%
  • Qatar by 3+
    0.3%
  • Qatar by 2+
    1.6%
  • Qatar by 1+
    6.3%
  • Draw
    14.4%
  • Switzerland by 1+
    79.3%
  • Switzerland by 2+
    58.2%
  • Switzerland by 3+
    35.8%
  • Switzerland by 4+
    18.6%

Each row is the probability the match ends with the listed margin or larger in that direction. Marginal of the Dixon-Coles joint goal grid; the “by 1+” rows plus the draw row sum to 1.

How the match unfolds

Over 2.5 goals 62.2% · BTTS 43.2%

Game state through the match

0%25%50%75%100%0'15'30'45'60'75'90'
  • Qatar ahead6.7%
  • Level13.7%
  • Switzerland ahead79.7%

Probability of each game state at minutes 0, 15, 30, 45, 60, 75, 90 — derived from two independent thinned-Poisson processes with the Dixon-Coles per-team rates. The three lines always sum to 1 at each minute. The right column shows the state at the match's closing minute.

When the first goal arrives

  • 0–15
    41.4%
  • 15–30
    24.3%
  • 30–45
    14.2%
  • 45–60
    8.3%
  • 60–75
    4.9%
  • 75–90
    2.9%
  • No goal
    4.0%

Probability the match's first goal arrives in each 15-minute window. Homogeneous Poisson with combined rate λ = λh + λa from the Dixon-Coles fit; the seven rows (six windows + no-goal tail) sum to 1.

Half-time / full-time grid

Joint probability of half-time and full-time results
HT ↓ / FT →HQatar winDDrawASwitzerland win
HQatar ahead3.5%2.5%2.3%
DLevel2.6%8.7%18.6%
ASwitzerland ahead0.4%2.6%58.7%

Each cell is P(half-time result, full-time result). All nine cells sum to 1. Derived from a halved-λ Dixon-Coles fit for the first half plus an independent-Poisson second-half convolution.

Comeback probability

  • Qatar trail at HT, avoid defeat at FT
    3.0%
  • Switzerland trail at HT, avoid defeat at FT
    4.8%

Joint probability — P(side trailing at half-time AND avoiding defeat at full-time). NOT conditional on trailing at HT. Derived from the same half-time / full-time decomposition that produces the HT/FT grid above; a tied first half is neither a home nor an away comeback opportunity.

Cards

  • Expected yellow cardsMean of the Poisson on total yellow cards.3.45
  • Total yellows over 2.567.0%
  • Total yellows over 3.545.3%
  • Total yellows over 4.526.5%
  • Any red cardP(at least one red card in the match).9.5%

Referee not yet assigned. Using the 2026 pool-mean per-match rate as a placeholder; the model picks up the referee's personal rate once the assignment is published. Total yellow cards modelled as a Poisson with mean equal to two team baselines plus the referee's deviation from the pool mean. Reds are modelled the same way, independently. See /docs/methodology/.

Teams & players

Top scorer: Rodriguez (7.0%)

Match detail

Qatar

Model-rated key players: Akram Afif (FW) — P(scores) 4.4%; Almoez Ali (FW) — P(scores) 4.4%; Ismaeel Mohammad (FW) — P(scores) 4.4%.

How they play

Qatar under Julen Lopetegui play a low block game, with just 43% possession — among the lowest in the field. Their likely shape is a 5-3-2, though they have also used other. They sit deeper and pick their moments to press (PPDA 35.0). They are selective in their shooting (6.2 per 90).

What they must execute

Qatar will look to stay compact and frustrate opponents, limiting space and hitting on the break. Set-piece proficiency — both attacking and defending — becomes critical when open-play chances are limited by design. Managing minutes for Hassan Al-Haydos across what could be seven matches will test the coaching staff's rotation planning.

Storylines
Form trend: Lost 106 international Elo points between Nov 2024 and Dec 2025 — rating now 1569 (no fixtures since).
Club core: 6 of 26 predicted-squad players play their club football for Al-Duhail — a single-club spine on the international side.
Local-league core: Only 0 of 26 predicted-squad players played in a top-5 European league last season — the rest play home or in non-top-5 leagues.

Switzerland

Model-rated key players: Ricardo Rodriguez (DF) — P(scores) 7.0%; Breel Embolo (FW) — P(scores) 4.5%; Zeki Amdouni (FW) — P(scores) 2.5%.

How they play

Switzerland under Murat Yakin play a pragmatic game with 50% possession. Their likely shape is a 4-2-3-1, though they have also used 4-3-3. They apply moderate pressing intensity (PPDA 22.8).

What they must execute

Switzerland play a pragmatic, results-oriented game that adapts shape to the opposition. Tactical flexibility is their strength. The risk is inconsistency — without a default identity, a poor result can cascade if the team struggles to find a Plan B. Managing minutes for Remo Freuler across what could be seven matches will test the coaching staff's rotation planning.

Storylines
Form trend: Gained 79 international Elo points over the last 12 months — current rating 1950.
Top scorer: Breel EmboloModel's top anytime-scorer for the team — 27% probability of scoring at least once, rank #11 of all players.
Top-league core: 18 of 25 predicted-squad players played in a top-5 European league last season — top-tier league pedigree across the squad.
Workload going in

Switzerland's predicted XI averages 1,993 club minutes over the 2024-25 season (moderate load).

Qatar coverage: 8.0% (2/11 XI matched against the FBref Big-5) · Switzerland: 76.0% (11/11).

Set-piece outlook

Switzerland converts 10.3% from set-pieces (0.27 expected). Combined, the model expects 0.27 set-piece goals across the 90 minutes.

  • P(Switzerland scores set-piece goal) 23.4%
  • P(set-piece goal in match) 23.4%

Qatar: Guilherme on corners (14 corners) (per fbref 2017 18) · Switzerland: Granit Xhaka on free kicks (per fbref 2022 23)

Penalty outlook

If a penalty is awarded to Qatar, the model gives 72.0% conversion, 71.4% for Switzerland.

Switzerland primary PK: Ricardo Rodriguez (1/2 in 2017-18, per fbref 2022 23).

Derived from the model's per-fixture forecast joint and supporting reference data (predicted squads, set-piece xG share, PK posteriors, club minutes). See /docs/methodology/ for the full methodology.

Tactical forecast

Qatarlow-block
PPDA
35.0
Possession
43%
Directness (yds/pass)
5.9
Long balls/90
38
Set-piece xG
Switzerlandpragmatic
PPDA
22.8
Possession
50%
Directness (yds/pass)
5.4
Long balls/90
34
Set-piece xG
10%

Style profile per side from StatsBomb open-data aggregation across recent international tournaments (Euro 2020/2024, Copa America 2024, AFCON 2023, World Cup 2018/2022). The tactical-fingerprint badge maps each team’s observed style vector into one of eight canonical archetypes via a rule-based classifier; teams with fewer than three matches of qualifying coverage carry an “insufficient-data” label rather than being forced into a default. Sides outside the StatsBomb-open corpus use FotMob team match stats from recent qualifiers and friendlies instead (possession and shot volume only), marked as partial coverage. PPDA = passes the side allows per defensive action (lower = more intense press). Formation distributions are not yet produced — that head of the §2.7 classifier is pending its own data pull. See /docs/methodology/.

Squad depth

Most irreplaceable starters

Qatar

  1. Almoez AliStrikerCover: Ahmed Alaaeldin · 0.130.36gap
  2. Lucas MendesCentre-backCover: Al-Hashmi Al-Hussain · 0.020.26gap
  3. Meshaal BarshamGoalkeeperCover: Salah Zakaria · 0.300.17gap

Switzerland

  1. Dan NdoyeWingerCover: Noah Okafor · 0.000.53gap
  2. Manuel AkanjiCentre-backCover: Aurèle Amenda · 0.360.53gap
  3. Nico ElvediCentre-backCover: Aurèle Amenda · 0.360.51gap

Gap = how far a side's rating at the position falls from the starter to his likely in-squad replacement (named under each name). Larger = harder to replace. Descriptive metric, does not feed the published probabilities. Methodology →

Match conditions

  • AltitudeNear sea level4 m
  • Avg temperatureFive-year mean over the tournament window19.6 °C
  • Avg humidity62%
  • Heat stressShade WBGT ~20.6 °CLow heat stress
  • Pitch surfacenatural grass

Natural-grass NFL stadium; FIFA-standard hybrid pitch for the tournament.

Heat stress is a shade Wet-Bulb Globe Temperature proxy from the venue's climatology mean temperature and humidity; FIFA mandates cooling breaks at WBGT 32 °C. Afternoon kickoff (local time). These are long-window averages, not a match-day forecast, and they are not inputs to the forecast.

Top scorers · P(scores in this match)

Qatar
Switzerland

Per-player scoring rate from Model #5 (`p_score_per_match`). Reflects each player's npxG/90, expected minutes, team xG share, and the average opposing-team defence. See /docs/methodology/.

Recent match form

Last match player ratings

Qatar

vs Bosnia and Herzegovina · avg 7.0

10
Akram AfifLW
ATK
DEF
PAS
8
Hassan Al-HaydosAM
ATK
DEF
PAS
8
Pedro MiguelRB
ATK
DEF
PAS
5
Ahmed FathyDM
ATK
DEF
PAS
4
Mahmoud AbunadaGK
ATK
DEF
PAS

Switzerland

vs Algeria · avg 7.6

8
Johan ManzambiST
ATK
DEF
PAS
8
Breel EmboloST
ATK
DEF
PAS
8
Ricardo RodriguezLB
ATK
DEF
PAS
8
Swiss GoalkeeperGK
ATK
DEF
PAS
6
Denis ZakariaDM
ATK
DEF
PAS

Player scores from official highlight analysis of each team's most recent match. Observational, not a model input. Methodology →

Video analysis: player performance

Per-player ratings and event breakdowns from official highlights analysis. Tap a player to see their full match timeline.

Qatar
8
Mahmud Abunada4'–45'

Made numerous crucial saves to keep his team in the game, despite conceding a penalty and receiving a yellow card.

5saves1fouls1 yellow

Match timeline

4'Shot by Dan Ndoye (Switzerland), saved by Mahmoud Abunada (Qatar).
5'Switzerland's Dan Ndoye has a shot saved by Mahmoud Abunada.
13'Penalty awarded to Switzerland after a foul by Mahmoud Abunada (Qatar) on Remo Freuler (Switzerland).
15'Yellow card shown to Mahmoud Abunada (Qatar).
20'Shot by Denis Zakaria (Switzerland), saved by Mahmoud Abunada (Qatar).
40'Shot by Michel Aebischer (Switzerland), saved by Mahmoud Abunada (Qatar).
45'Shot by Dan Ndoye (Switzerland), saved by Mahmoud Abunada (Qatar).
7
Boualem Khoukhi41'–41'

Scored a dramatic late equalizer but also received a yellow card.

1fouls1 yellow

Match timeline

41'Boualem Khoukhi (Qatar) receives a yellow card for a foul on Dan Ndoye (Switzerland).
41'Boualem Khoukhi (Qatar) receives a yellow card for a foul on Dan Ndoye (Switzerland).
6
Akram Afif1'–1'

Had an early shot on target but otherwise had no significant impact.

1shots1on target

Match timeline

1'Shot by Akram Afif (Qatar), saved by Gregor Kobel (Switzerland). Edmilson Junior misses follow-up.
6
Ahmed Alaaeldin

Came on as a substitute and had a shot that went wide.

6
Karim Boudiaf

Entered as a substitute and committed a foul.

6
Pedro Miguel

Committed a foul during his time on the pitch.

6
Assim Madibo

Committed a foul before being substituted.

6
Ahmed Fathy

Came on as a substitute without making a notable impact.

6
Yusuf Abdurisag

Played for part of the match without making a significant impact.

6
Mohamed Al-Mannai

Came on as a substitute without making a notable impact.

6
Ayoub Al-Oui

Played for part of the match without making a significant impact.

6
Hassan Alhaydos

Came on as a late substitute without making a notable impact.

5
Edmilson Junior1'–42'

Failed to convert two significant scoring opportunities.

2shots1on target

Match timeline

1'Shot by Akram Afif (Qatar), saved by Gregor Kobel (Switzerland). Edmilson Junior misses follow-up.
42'Shot by Edmilson Junior (Qatar), saved by Gregor Kobel (Switzerland).
4
Jassem Gaber10'–22'

Received two yellow cards for fouls, leading to his dismissal.

2fouls2 yellow

Match timeline

10'Jassem Gaber (Qatar) receives a yellow card for a foul on Ruben Vargas (Switzerland).
10'Jassem Gaber (Qatar) receives a yellow card for a foul on Ruben Vargas (Switzerland).
22'Jassem Gaber (Qatar) receives a second yellow card for a foul on Ruben Vargas (Switzerland).
22'Jassem Gaber (Qatar) receives a second yellow card for a foul on Ruben Vargas (Switzerland).
Switzerland
8
Breel Embolo15'–16'

Scored the opening goal from the penalty spot with composure.

2goals

Match timeline

15'Breel Embolo (Switzerland) scores from the penalty spot. Qatar 0 - 1 Switzerland.
16'Breel Embolo scores a penalty for Switzerland.
7
Remo Freuler13'–13'

Won the penalty that led to his team's opening goal.

1fouls won

Match timeline

13'Penalty awarded to Switzerland after a foul by Mahmoud Abunada (Qatar) on Remo Freuler (Switzerland).
7
Ruben Vargas

Was fouled twice, leading to two yellow cards for an opponent, and had several shots.

7
Gregor Kobel1'–42'

Made good saves to deny early Qatar attacks and maintain his team's lead for most of the game.

2saves

Match timeline

1'Shot by Akram Afif (Qatar), saved by Gregor Kobel (Switzerland). Edmilson Junior misses follow-up.
42'Shot by Edmilson Junior (Qatar), saved by Gregor Kobel (Switzerland).
7
Dan Ndoye4'–45'

Created numerous attacking opportunities, forced several saves, and was fouled.

5shots3on target1fouls won

Match timeline

4'Shot by Dan Ndoye (Switzerland), saved by Mahmoud Abunada (Qatar).
5'Switzerland's Dan Ndoye has a shot saved by Mahmoud Abunada.
9'Dan Ndoye's shot for Switzerland goes wide.
34'Shot by Dan Ndoye (Switzerland), blocked by a Qatar defender.
41'Boualem Khoukhi (Qatar) receives a yellow card for a foul on Dan Ndoye (Switzerland).
45'Shot by Dan Ndoye (Switzerland), saved by Mahmoud Abunada (Qatar).
6
Granit Xhaka

Had a couple of shots but did not make a decisive impact.

6
Denis Zakaria20'–20'

Had shots on goal but did not significantly influence the game.

1shots1on target

Match timeline

20'Shot by Denis Zakaria (Switzerland), saved by Mahmoud Abunada (Qatar).
6
Silvan Widmer

Came on as a late substitute without making a notable impact.

6
Ricardo Rodriguez

Played for most of the match without making a significant impact.

6
Michel Aebischer40'–40'

Had a shot on target before being substituted.

1shots1on target

Match timeline

40'Shot by Michel Aebischer (Switzerland), saved by Mahmoud Abunada (Qatar).
6
Fabian Rieder

Came on as a substitute and had a shot saved.

6
Zeki Amdouni

Was fouled during his time on the pitch.

6
Johan Manzambi

Came on as a substitute, was fouled, and had a shot saved.

Match observations

  • The match was a closely contested affair, with both teams creating opportunities. Switzerland initially gained a lead from a penalty, but Qatar fought back to secure a late equaliser.
  • Qatar's goalkeeper, Mahmoud Abunada, delivered a strong performance, making numerous saves to keep his team in contention throughout the game.
  • The game saw a dramatic finish, with Qatar scoring in stoppage time to level the score, leading to jubilant celebrations from their players and fans.

Under the hood

Model-by-model comparison

Qatar vs Switzerland

Moderate (7.1%)
ModelWeightHomeDrawAway
EloRating-based strength estimate32%
0.0%
17.0%
83.0%
Dixon-ColesGoal-process model with low-score correction63%
6.3%
14.0%
79.7%
Hierarchical PoissonBayesian model with confederation pooling6%
7.1%
14.4%
78.5%
Bayesian stackingLearned-weight combination
0.0%
6.8%
93.2%
Ensemble (published)Uniform average + isotonic calibration
2.5%
16.4%
81.1%
Home spread: 7.1%
Draw spread: 3.0%
Away spread: 4.5%
How each model works
Elo
Each team carries a single strength rating updated after every match by a margin-aware K-factor. Match probabilities come from the logistic function of the rating gap. Elo is fast-adapting but coarse — it sees only who won and by how much, not how the goals were scored.
Dixon-Coles
A Poisson regression on team-level attack and defence parameters, fitted via maximum likelihood with an exponential time-decay weighting. The Dixon-Coles correction adjusts the four low-score cells (0-0, 1-0, 0-1, 1-1) where independent Poisson underestimates dependence. Produces full scoreline distributions, not just H/D/A.
Hierarchical Poisson
A Bayesian Poisson model fitted via MCMC (PyMC) with hierarchical priors that pool attack and defence parameters within confederations. Shrinks small-sample teams toward their confederation mean — helpful for nations with few recent competitive fixtures. Slower to fit but better-calibrated on the tails.
Bayesian stacking
Optimises simplex weights (w_elo, w_dc, w_hp) to maximise the leave-one-out log-score across a walk-forward backtest (Yao et al. 2018). The result is a weighted average of the three component models' probabilities, then isotonic-calibrated. Adds no extra features — just learns which component to trust more from historical accuracy.
Ensemble (published)
Equal-weight average of all three component models, followed by per-class isotonic regression calibration fitted on 24 months of walk-forward out-of-fold predictions. This is the probability published on the site. The uniform mean is deliberately simple — it avoids overfitting to the stacking weights' training window.

Three independent component models feed two combination strategies. The uniform ensemble is the published probability; Bayesian stacking uses learned weights. Amber bars flag >5pp divergence from the published number. Full methodology

Probability decomposition (transparency surface)

  • Baseline ensemble — P(Qatar win)8.4%
  • + Lineup contribution0.0pp
  • + Style-matchup contribution0.0pp
  • Published P(Qatar win)8.4%
Qatar
8.4%
Draw
18.4%
Switzerland
73.2%

Decomposition of the published P(Qatar win) into the calibrated- baseline plus contributions from the §2.3 expected-XI lineup delta and the §2.7 style-matchup interaction. The §2.7 roadmap is explicit that style effects are second-order to team strength — single-digit-percentage P(win) shifts on extreme style matchups, near-zero on balanced ones. We surface the decomposition for transparency even when the contributions are small; the baseline carries the prediction. Methodology: /docs/methodology.

For this fixture both contributions round to under 0.05pp — the fitted style-matchup pair effect is in the small-magnitude regime the model expects to dominate.

Head-to-head history

DateCompetitionVenueScoreResultxG
13 Jun 2026FIFA World CupNSanta Clara11D
14 Nov 2018FriendlyALugano10W

Qatar vs Switzerland, every senior international meeting in the martj42 results dataset (score from Qatar's perspective; H/A/N = home/away/neutral).

Latest news & match context

Team news

No recent headlines for Qatar or Switzerland.

Match conditions
Stage:
Group B · Matchday 1
Date:
13 Jun
Availability

Qatar

Qatar come in at close to full strength.

Switzerland

Switzerland come in at close to full strength.

What it means

Qatar and Switzerland both come in at close to full strength, so the forecast rests on baseline team strength rather than late team-news swings.

Availability from the predicted squads and injury feed; forecast adjustments from the model's own decomposition. See /docs/methodology/.

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