Round of 16 · Match 8
SwitzerlandvsColombia
2026-07-07·13:00 local·BC Place · VancouverPredictions finalised
Match signals
Factors that favour each side, from statistical models to group stage form and match conditions. Longer bars = stronger advantage.
Colombia are the clear favourites (48% to Switzerland's 26%), and 11 of the wider signals confirm it. A clear probability gap, though draws (27%) keep this from being one-sided.
📊What the Models Say
Rates teams by a single strength number updated after every match. Simpler but fast to react. It rates Colombia at 50% to win vs Switzerland at 28%.
Simulates the goal-scoring process using attack and defence strength. The heaviest-weighted model. It rates Colombia at 44% to win vs Switzerland at 26%.
Groups teams by confederation to share information. Helps for teams with fewer matches. It rates Colombia at 43% to win vs Switzerland at 28%.
The published probability after calibration and adjustments. This is what the model says. It rates Colombia at 48% to win vs Switzerland at 26%.
All 3 models agree: Colombia is favoured. When models agree, the signal is stronger.
⚽Tournament Form
Both collected similar points: Switzerland 11pts (3W 2D 0L), Colombia 11pts (3W 2D 0L).
Switzerland averaged 1.8 goals per match vs Colombia's 1.0. More firepower coming in.
Colombia conceded just 0.2 goals/match vs Switzerland's 0.6. Tighter at the back.
Switzerland's goal difference of +6 is better than Colombia's +4. They outperformed opponents by more.
📈Momentum
Switzerland's rating rose +21.8 during the tournament while Colombia's moved +10.5. The tournament has been kinder to Switzerland.
Switzerland's players improved their form ratings during the tournament (+0.0101) vs Colombia (-0.0002). Players trending upward.
🏆Team Quality
Colombia is rated 1975 vs Switzerland's 1889 (gap: 86). That's a noticeable gap in historical team strength.
The model expects Colombia to create 1.32 expected goals vs Switzerland's 0.94. More and better chances projected.
Switzerland's top 3 starters are harder to replace (avg VORP 0.52) than Colombia's (0.23). More star power in key positions.
Colombia's starters play together at club level more often (0.022 cohesion) than Switzerland's (0.012). More shared understanding on the pitch.
🌍Match Conditions
Colombia traveled 6,755km vs Switzerland's 8,347km. A shorter journey means less fatigue.
Colombia face a 2h timezone shift vs Switzerland's 9h. Less jet lag disruption.
17 signals across 5 categories. Signal strength reflects how large the gap is between the two teams on each factor. Signals are descriptive, not prescriptive.
A previsão
Match-outcome probability
- Switzerland win24.9%
- Draw26.7%
- Colombia win48.4%
The model rates Colombia as favourites at 48%, with Switzerland projected at 26% to win.
▸Gols e placares
Likeliest score 1–1 (13.7%) · xG 0.9 - 1.3
Expected goals
Mean of the Dixon-Coles joint goal distribution. Same fit that produces the most-likely-scoreline list below.
Most likely scorelines
- 1–113.7%
- 0–113.0%
- 0–011.2%
- 0–29.1%
- 1–09.0%
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
- 0–032.9%
- 0–120.7%
- 1–014.5%
- 1–110.6%
- 0–27.1%
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 goals88.8%
- More than 1.5 goals66.8%
- More than 2.5 goals39.4%
- More than 3.5 goals19.3%
- More than 4.5 goals7.9%
- More than 5.5 goals2.8%
- Both teams score45.4%
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
- Switzerland clean sheetOpposing team scores zero26.7%
- Colombia clean sheetOpposing team scores zero39.1%
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
- Switzerland by 4+0.5%
- Switzerland by 3+2.5%
- Switzerland by 2+9.3%
- Switzerland by 1+25.7%
- Draw29.6%
- Colombia by 1+44.7%
- Colombia by 2+21.2%
- Colombia by 3+7.7%
- Colombia by 4+2.2%
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.
▸Como o jogo se desenrola
Over 2.5 goals 39.4% · BTTS 45.4%
Game state through the match
- Switzerland ahead26.5%
- Level28.0%
- Colombia ahead45.5%
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
- 0–1531.4%
- 15–3021.5%
- 30–4514.8%
- 45–6010.1%
- 60–757.0%
- 75–904.8%
- No goal10.4%
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
| HT ↓ / FT → | HSwitzerland win | DDraw | AColombia win |
|---|---|---|---|
| HSwitzerland ahead | 15.3% | 4.5% | 1.8% |
| DLevel | 9.9% | 19.1% | 15.4% |
| AColombia ahead | 1.2% | 4.6% | 28.3% |
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
- Switzerland trail at HT, avoid defeat at FT5.8%
- Colombia trail at HT, avoid defeat at FT6.3%
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.
PK shootout simulator
If the match ends level after extra time, the model estimates the shootout outcome from each team's Bayesian-smoothed conversion / save rate (Model #15). The bracket simulator uses the symmetric (averaged) ordering; the two what-if scenarios below show how the win probabilities shift when conditioning on which team kicks first.
- Switzerland46.2%
- Colombia53.8%
- Switzerland58.5%
- Colombia41.5%
- Switzerland33.8%
- Colombia66.2%
First-kicker advantage
The first kicker's per-kick conversion rate is scaled by ×1.050 (about +5.0%), stacked on the Markov chain's structural asymmetry. Real World Cup shootouts use a coin toss for kicker order, so on average the order is 50/50 — the symmetric path above is the relevant number for a single fixture. The ordering-conditioned probabilities are a descriptive what-if scenario.
Literature: first kickers win ≈ 60% historically (Apesteguia & Palacios-Huerta, American Economic Review 2010; Vandebroek et al. 2016).
Per-team posteriors: Switzerland conv 71.4%, save 20.0%; Colombia conv 71.4%, save 22.9%. Smoothed against the global prior with prior strength 20 — see /docs/methodology/.
▸Seleções e jogadores
Top scorer: Rodríguez (8.9%)
Match detail
Switzerland
Model-rated key players: Ricardo Rodriguez (DF) — P(scores) 7.0%; Breel Embolo (FW) — P(scores) 2.2%; Zeki Amdouni (FW) — P(scores) 1.2%.
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).
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.
Colombia
Model-rated key players: James Rodríguez (MF) — P(scores) 8.9%; Luis Díaz (FW) — P(scores) 7.6%; Jhon Córdoba (FW) — P(scores) 4.2%.
Colombia under Néstor Lorenzo play a pragmatic game with 53% possession. They apply moderate pressing intensity (PPDA 18.9).
Colombia 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.
Switzerland's predicted XI averages 1,993 club minutes over the 2024-25 season (moderate load).
Switzerland coverage: 76.0% (11/11 XI matched against the FBref Big-5) · Colombia: 44.0% (9/11).
Switzerland historically converts 10.3% of xG from set-pieces, contributing 0.10 expected set-piece goals in this fixture. Colombia converts 12.4% from set-pieces (0.16 expected). Combined, the model expects 0.26 set-piece goals across the 90 minutes.
- P(Switzerland scores set-piece goal) 9.2%
- P(Colombia scores set-piece goal) 15.1%
- P(set-piece goal in match) 23.0%
Switzerland: Granit Xhaka on free kicks (per fbref 2022 23) · Colombia: James Rodríguez on corners (58 corners) (per fbref 2020 21)
If a penalty is awarded to Switzerland, the model gives 71.4% conversion, 71.4% for Colombia. If this match goes to a shootout, the symmetric (coin-toss averaged) win probability is 46.2% Switzerland / 53.8% Colombia.
Switzerland primary PK: Ricardo Rodriguez (1/2 in 2017-18, per fbref 2022 23) · Colombia primary PK: James Rodríguez (2/2 in 2013-14, per fbref 2020 21).
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.
Squad depth
Most irreplaceable starters
Switzerland
- Dan NdoyeWingerCover: Noah Okafor · 0.000.53gap
- Manuel AkanjiCentre-backCover: Aurèle Amenda · 0.360.53gap
- Nico ElvediCentre-backCover: Aurèle Amenda · 0.360.51gap
Colombia
- Luis DíazWingerCover: Jaminton Campaz · 0.630.31gap
- Cucho HernándezStrikerCover: Luis Suárez · 0.570.20gap
- Jhon AriasWingerCover: Jaminton Campaz · 0.630.17gap
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 level3 m
- Avg temperatureFive-year mean over the tournament window17.4 °C
- Avg humidity73%
- Heat stressShade WBGT ~19.5 °CLow heat stress
- Pitch surfacetemporary natural grass over artificial turf
Artificial-turf stadium with a retractable roof; a temporary natural-grass pitch is laid over the turf 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)
- Ricardo RodriguezPKDF7.0%
- Breel EmboloFW2.2%
- Zeki AmdouniFW1.2%
- James RodríguezPKMF8.9%
- Luis DíazFW7.6%
- Jhon CórdobaFW4.2%
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
Switzerland
vs Algeria · avg 7.6
Colombia
vs Ghana · avg 7.0
Worked well: Their counter-attacking movements were effective, leading to the opening goal and several other clear-cut chances. The interplay between their attacking players, particularly Luis Suarez, was a key strength.
Struggled: Despite creating many opportunities, their finishing was not always clinical, allowing Ghana's goalkeeper to make several important stops and keeping the scoreline tight.
Player scores from official highlight analysis of each team's most recent match. Observational, not a model input. Methodology →
▸Por dentro do modelo
Model-by-model comparison
Switzerland vs Colombia
| Model | Weight | Home | Draw | Away |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EloRating-based strength estimate | 32% | 28.4% | 22.0% | 49.6% |
| Dixon-ColesGoal-process model with low-score correction | 63% | 26.4% | 29.4% | 44.2% |
| Hierarchical PoissonBayesian model with confederation pooling | 6% | 28.1% | 28.9% | 43.0% |
| Bayesian stackingLearned-weight combination | — | 24.3% | 28.8% | 46.9% |
| Ensemble (published)Uniform average + isotonic calibration | — | 25.6% | 26.5% | 47.9% |
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
Latest news & match context
No recent headlines for Switzerland or Colombia.
- Stage:
- Round of 16 · Match 8
- Date:
- 7 Jul
- Venue:
- BC Place, Vancouver
Ranked by likely importance. None of these feed the forecast: the probabilities rest on team strength, venue conditions and the style matchup.
- 1.Elimination stakes: A one-off elimination tie. Motivation, risk appetite and game management under tournament pressure are not model inputs; the forecast rests on team strength and the style matchup.
- 2.Rest differential: Switzerland have had 4 days since their previous match versus 3 for Colombia. Rest and recovery are not model inputs.
Switzerland
Switzerland come in at close to full strength.
Colombia
Colombia come in at close to full strength.
Switzerland and Colombia 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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