The two richest countries at the World Cup

A report by Global Finance ranked Qatar as the fourth-richest country in the world and Switzerland sixth based on GDP. Both nations also sit near the top of the global salary rankings, with average earnings exceeding $100,000 in Switzerland and not far behind in Qatar.

Now those two wealthy nations, one built on natural gas and the other on finance, meet in one of the World Cup’s most unusual matchups. (Kick off 3 p.m. ET, Saturday, June 13). One of Asia’s smallest countries faces one of Europe’s smallest. Yet both regularly appear near the top of global economic rankings. In soccer, money does not guarantee success, but it certainly helps (follow the game live on AS USA).

Qatar’s route to football success

In Qatar’s case, it helped create one of the world’s premier player-development centers, the Aspire Academy. Many members of Qatar’s golden generation came through its system, a group that won back-to-back Asian Cup titles and represented the nation at its first-ever World Cup in 2022, when it hosted the tournament.

Check out the full Qatar roster.

Four years later, Qatar is back on soccer’s biggest stage, this time on merit rather than as the host nation. It is the first time in the country’s history that it has qualified for a World Cup, and much of the credit belongs to Spanish coach Julen Lopetegui.

The coach from Asteasu in the north of Spain accepted the Qatar job when the qualification campaign appeared to be heading in the wrong direction. Even with all the money in the world available to invest in soccer, what Qatar needed was the influence of a competitive, experienced and efficient coach.

Lopetegui accepted the offer more because of the challenge than the financial rewards, although in Qatar’s case those rewards are certainly substantial.

The turnaround arrived quickly. In just a handful of games, Lopetegui achieved what had once seemed impossible. However, events beyond soccer have complicated preparations. The war involving Iran and the resulting cancellation of several high-profile warmup matches, including a planned showdown with Argentina as part of the Finalissima schedule and surrounding fixtures, significantly disrupted Qatar’s buildup.

That has raised concerns heading into a difficult opener against one of Europe’s toughest and most reliable teams, Switzerland.

Without having to spend heavily on soccer, the Swiss have established themselves as a consistent upper-tier European side. They rarely disappoint at major tournaments.

Check out the full Switzerland roster.

While they never seem particularly stressed or burdened by expectations, Switzerland has found the perfect balance between its homegrown talent and the energy provided by players with roots in other countries, including Breel Embolo, Manuel Akanji, Dan Ndoye, Ruben Vargas and the latest breakout talent, Manzambi.

The richest matchup of the World Cup begins here. Two millionaire nations, face to face.

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