Despite the ongoing brilliance of Lionel Messi, Argentina have made incredibly hard work of reaching the 2026 World Cup quarterfinals, where they will face Switzerland in Kansas City on Saturday.

After cruising through the group stage, the reigning World Cup champions needed extra time to defeat debutants Cape Verde, who almost pulled off one of the greatest shocks in tournament history in the round of 32.

Things did not go much more smoothly in the last 16, when Argentina found themselves 2-0 down to Egypt with 12 minutes remaining. Three late goals saw them complete an incredible, but controversial, comeback, although the performance did little to inspire confidence in their ability to go much further in the competition.

Switzerland looking to make history against Argentina

On Saturday, Lionel Scaloni’s team will come up against Switzerland, who have proven themselves to be awkward opponents, as they often have in recent major tournaments.

The Swiss have the opportunity to achieve two separate firsts in Kansas City. Not only can they qualify for the World Cup semifinals for the first time in their history, but they also have the chance to record their first win over Argentina.

The two countries have faced each other seven previous times, with the South Americans winning five and the remaining two games ending in draws.

Two of those meetings have taken place at World Cups, with Argentina coming out on top on both occasions.

Argentina’s World Cup history against Switzerland

In England in 1966, La Albiceleste won 2-0 in a group stage game, ensuring they qualified for the quarterfinals, where they were eliminated by the hosts.

In the round of 16 at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, Ángel Di María scored the only goal of the game two minutes before the end of extra time, once again sending Argentina into the last eight. They would go on to reach the final, where they were beaten by Germany.

That remains the most recent meeting between the two nations.

Argentina and Switzerland’s one-sided history

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