Ruben Vargas blasted the winning spot kick for Switzerland as they beat Colombia 4-3 in a penalty shootout to reach the quarter-finals of the World Cup.
The first 120 minutes finished 0-0 following a tense, tactical battle low on quality with few genuine chances for either side, although Colombia’s Jhon Lucumi did hit the bar with a header in extra time.
Davinson Sanchez’s penalty in the shootout smashed the crossbar and Cucho Hernandez saw his spot-kick saved, while Manuel Akanji fired Switzerland’s third penalty well over before Vargas held his nerve to slot home the crucial spot-kick
And Argentina now await in the quarter-finals in Kansas City on Saturday after the reigning world champions came from 2-0 down to dramatically beat Egypt 3-2 earlier today.
Relive the World Cup last-16 game, below:
Switzerland edge Colombia in dramatic penalty shoot-out to set up World Cup quarter-final with Argentina
Ruben Vargas converted his penalty and Switzerland advanced to the World Cup quarterfinals with a 4-3 shootout win over Colombia after a scoreless draw on Tuesday.
Switzerland will next face defending champion Argentina on Saturday at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri. Argentina defeated Egypt 3-2 earlier in the day.
Switzerland had not reached the quarterfinals of a World Cup since hosting the tournament in 1954. And the Swiss were shorthanded Tuesday without young midfielder Johan Manzambi, who was injured in training on Monday.
‘Argentina the happier side’
“Today Switzerland weren’t overly impressive. I expected far more from the Swiss in this game,” says South American football expert Tim Vickery on BBC.
“The fact that the Swiss have gone the full 120, I think Argentina are the happier side,” he added.
World Cup 2026 Golden Boot: Messi moves clear of Mbappe and Haaland as Kane joins thrilling race to finish top scorer
The race for the golden boot at the World Cup is on, and it is already a thrilling race featuring some of the best players in the world.
The stars continue to dominate at this tournament, none more so than Kylian Mbappe, who got up and running with a brace against Senegal before notching another against Iraq, and a third double against Sweden in the round of 32. He then added another in the last 16, scoring a crucial goal from the spot against Paraguay to take his tally to seven.
World Cup 2026: Quarter-final fixtures, results and full tournament bracket
The quarter-finals for the 2026 World Cup are in the process of being set – with England having booked their spot.
A 3-2 win over co-hosts Mexico on Sunday night set up a mouthwatering clash between Norway and the Three Lions in Miami at 10pm BST on Saturday. Also set is France’s meeting with Morocco on Thursday at 9pm in Boston.
There are 104 matches in North America this summer, up by 40 since the Qatar World Cup in 2022, with Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo likely to play on this stage for the last time in their glittering careers.
SWITZERLAND WIN ON PENALTIES! Switzerland 4-3 Colombia
World Cup 2026 TV schedule: How to watch every knockout game live in the UK
The last-32 of the 2026 World Cup is delivering bucketloads of drama for fans to watch live on television.
Of course, you do have to factor in the time difference, with the kinder kick-off times including slots at 6pm BST and 8pm BST, while there are games throughout the night for UK viewers.
Match stats
Switzerland have reached the quarter-finals of the World Cup for the first time since 1954!
It is the first time the Swiss have won two knockout matches at the same World Cup, and this is also their first ever shoot-out win in the competition.
World Cup quarter-finals set
Here are the four ties in the World Cup quarter-finals then:
France v Morocco – 8pm BST
Spain v Belgium – 8pm BST
Norway v England – 10pm BST
Argentina v Switzerland – 2am BST
Switzerland ‘a long shot’
“Surprising [that Switzerland have made the quarter-finals] because I don’t think there were many apart from their dressing room or their fans would think they had a chance. A long shot maybe,” adds Dion Dublin on 5 Live.
“Colombia didn’t take their chance when they were on top. Jaminton Campaz thought he was going to score. They’re the chances you need to take, you cannot keep missing chances at this stage.
“If you don’t get chances like Switzerland but you stay in the game, you get yourself into this situation here,” he explained.
