Switzerland vs Colombia: World Cup last 16: Prediction, start time and news

SaveSharefacebookxwhatsapp-strokecopylinkDaniel Munoz has scored twice so far, guiding Colombia to the World Cup round of 16. Can he do it again? [Ulises Ruiz/AFP]By Manasi PathakPublished On 7 Jul 20267 Jul 2026Four wins to go. How can your team reach the final and win the World Cup 2026? Click here to find out.Who: Switzerland vs Colombia What: FIFA World Cup 2026 – Round of 16 Where: BC Place Vancouver, Vancouver, Canada When: Tuesday, July 7, at 1pm (20:00 GMT) How to follow: We will have all the build-up on Al Jazeera Sport from 16:45 GMT before our live text commentary stream.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4Balogun reprieve in vain as Belgium beat USA to set up Spain quarterfinallist 2 of 4‘MAGA agenda on display’: FIFA, Trump slammed amid Balogun red card rowlist 3 of 4FIFA defends Balogun red card referee after Trump calls him ‘a bit suspect’list 4 of 4Anyone who doesn’t feel for Palestinians is not human: Egypt coach Hassanend of listThe World Cup’s round of 16 concludes on Tuesday in Vancouver, as Switzerland and Colombia face off, with both aiming to match their best performances.Colombia have established themselves as dangerous outsiders at the tournament, right from topping their group to advancing into the last-16, all while conceding just one goal.The South Americans’ sturdy defence, though, will face a tricky test against Switzerland, whose breakout star Johan Manzambi has caught global attention.Playing at the same venue for a third consecutive time, Switzerland has a slight advantage heading into the game. But with Colombia boasting a balance of attacking flair and disciplined defence, the Swiss will have very little space and opportunity to exploit.Al Jazeera tells you everything about Switzerland vs Colombia:How did Switzerland and Colombia reach the round of 16?Switzerland topped Group B with seven points, beating Canada and Bosnia and Herzegovina, and drawing with Qatar. They sealed a 2-0 victory over Algeria in the round of 32, bringing up their first World Cup knockout victory since 1938.Colombia topped Group K with seven points, beating Uzbekistan and DR Congo, and holding Portugal to a draw. In the round of 32, they beat Ghana 1-0.Swiss youngster Manzambi is the man to watchSwitzerland’s 20-year-old midfielder Manzambi has arguably been their trump card at the tournament, thanks to his three goals and two assists.Though he started his debut World Cup off the bench in the first game, the youngster has since become an integral part of the Swiss attack. From setting up chances to finishing them off in style, the swashbuckling Manzambi played an all-round role for his national side.His breakout performance in the tournament prompted coach Murat Yakin to call him “a very precious and important player”.“He has been constantly improving ⁠his performance. He is a team player. He’s not only a player that you like to watch … he is an all-rounder. He has many qualities and there is still so much potential in him,” Yakin added.The Swiss attacking quartet of Manzambi, Breel Embolo, Dan Ndoye and Ruben Vargas have been in fine form, scoring eight of their team’s nine goals between them.Should they click again and guide the team to victory, it would see Switzerland through to the quarterfinals for the first time since they hosted the tournament in 1954 – and their fourth overall (also 1934 and 1938).Breakout star Johan Manzambi is just 20 years old, but he’s racking up performances far beyond his years [Alex Grimm/Getty Images via AFP]Colombia coach praises his ‘versatile’ teamColombia coach Nestor Lorenzo emphasised his “versatile” team’s ability to adapt to situations, as they look to follow in the footsteps of the their 2014 Brazil World Cup performance that resulted in the nation’s best-ever placing in the last-eight of the tournament.“I believe it is key for us to have those types of players, players ⁠who interpret the game with simplicity, and that they know how to behave. They grasp the game, they understand the game,” Lorenzo said.“On top of the fact that they have the physical and technical capacity that allows for improved versatility, they understand the ‌game. They understand the different moments, and it enables the team to grow. I think we have many players of this sort who are highly versatile.”Colombia have conceded just once so far – against Uzbekistan in their opening game – and registered five goals in five games, with Daniel Munoz scoring twice and Bayern Munich winger Luis Diaz bagging a goal and assist each.Colombia’s Luis Diaz was the player of the match in their opening 3-1 World Cup win over Uzbekistan [Eloisa Sanchez/Reuters]Switzerland vs Colombia predictionThe Opta supercomputer gives Colombia a 41.9 percent likelihood of winning in regulation time, while Switzerland’s chances of winning are 28.2 percent.The model estimates a 29.9 percent probability of the game going to extra time.Switzerland vs Colombia: How to watch, schedule Switzerland: RTS, SRF, RSI (10pm, Central European Summer Time) Colombia: Caracol, RCN Television SA (3pm, Colombia Time) United States: FOX, FOX One, Telemundo App, Telemundo Network, Peacock (3pm, Eastern Daylight Time) United Kingdom: STV, STV Player, ITVX, ITV1 (9pm, British Summer Time) To check the TV listings for your country, head to FIFA’s TV listing schedule here.Colombia fans celebrate after the match as their country qualified for the round of 16 stage of the World Cup [Siphiwe Sibeko/Reuters]Who will the winner face in the quarterfinals?The winner of the Switzerland vs Colombia match will play either Argentina or Egypt in the quarterfinals in Kansas City in the US, on Saturday, July 11.Switzerland vs Colombia: Head-to-headWednesday’s World Cup match between Switzerland and Colombia will be their fifth meeting across all competitions. Three of those four previous encounters were friendlies, and the most recent dates back to March 2007, when Colombia won 3-1.The only competitive encounter between these teams was a group-stage match at the 1994 World Cup, which Colombia won 2-0.However, Colombia’s record against European opposition this year has not been great – they lost to Croatia and France in March friendlies, and drew with Portugal in their final group game this month at the tournament.Switzerland vs Colombia: Team newsSwitzerland have a major fitness issue: Mazambi, Vargas and Djibril Sow, three influential players, quit training early on Monday, raising doubts about their availability.“Obviously, if they have to quit the training session earlier, everybody is very annoyed because this is going to be a very big loss. If they ‌might not play, it could be a huge issue for us,” coach Yakin said.Switzerland’s Aebischer and Jaquez are out with muscle injuries, while Colombia’s Cordoba is sidelined due to a groin injury.Switzerland’s predicted lineup(4-2-3-1): Kobel (goalkeeper); Zakaria, Elvedi, Akanji, Rodriguez; Freuler, Xhaka; Ndoye, Manzambi, Vargas; EmboloColombia’s predicted lineup(4-3-3): Vargas (goalkeeper); Munoz, Sanchez, Lucumi, Mojica; Puerta, Lerma, Arias; Rodriguez, Suarez, DiazBreel Embolo #7 of Switzerland celebrates scoring his team’s first goal during the round of 32 match between Switzerland and Algeria [Fran Santiago/Getty Images/AFP]