Qatar vs Switzerland Betting Preview - World Cup 2026 Group B Odds, Team News and Key Numbers

One day after Canada open the tournament in Toronto, the other half of Group B gets under way at Levi's Stadium. Qatar against Switzerland, Saturday 13 June, kick-off 3pm Eastern - and for Canadian fans, this is appointment scouting: whoever takes points here is exactly who Canada will be chasing or holding off over the following two weeks.

The market does not consider it close. Bet365 has Switzerland at 1.22, the shortest favourite price of any opening fixture we have covered this tournament - shorter than England against Croatia, far shorter than the USA against Paraguay. Qatar, at 12.00, are priced as the longest shot on the Group B board.

Qatar would point at two things. First, they are here on merit for the first time: after debuting as hosts in 2022, Al Annabi topped their final Asian qualifying group to become the first nation ever to qualify for a World Cup after previously hosting one, with Almoez Ali finishing as the top scorer in Asian qualifying. Second, the head-to-head. These countries have met once in their history, a 2018 friendly. Qatar won it 1-0.

Below: the full odds board including bet365's pre-built Bet Boosts on this fixture, team news from both camps, and what the pricing implies - all of it as it stood at midday on 6 June.

Group B Schedule

The final two fixtures kick off simultaneously on 24 June, in keeping with tournament rules.

Team News

Switzerland. Murat Yakin named his 26 on 20 May, and the spine picks itself: Granit Xhaka, Switzerland's record appearance-maker, captains the side at a fourth World Cup off the back of a standout season at Sunderland, with Manuel Akanji of Inter anchoring the defence and Gregor Kobel expected to hold the gloves in the post-Sommer era. Eighteen of the 26 have played at a World Cup before. The headline call was Zeki Amdouni, selected despite a severe knee injury that wiped out most of his club season at Burnley. The surprise picks were Christian Fassnacht - the Swiss league's 18-goal top scorer and one of only two domestic-based players in the squad, alongside Young Boys goalkeeper Marvin Keller - and Cedric Itten, both of whom had barely featured for the national team since 2023. Young Boys pair Alvyn Sanches and Joel Monteiro were the notable omissions. Up front, Breel Embolo leads the squad with 24 international goals and was Switzerland's top scorer in qualifying.

Qatar. Julen Lopetegui finalised his 26 on 1 June, trimming a 28-man group after the warm-up trip to face Ireland in Dublin, and the squad - based entirely in the Qatar Stars League - has been preparing at a camp in Santa Barbara. Hassan Al-Haydos, Qatar's most-capped player and the captain of their back-to-back Asian Cup wins, returned to the setup at Lopetegui's request during qualifying and leads the group. The attack runs through Akram Afif, the two-time Asian Player of the Year, and Almoez Ali, Qatar's all-time leading scorer, whose 12 goals made him the top scorer in Asian qualifying. Boualem Khoukhi, Karim Boudiaf and Abdulaziz Hatem provide the veteran core, and Mohammed Muntari carries a singular distinction: he remains the only Qatari ever to score at a World Cup. The mission in North America is blunt - improve on a 2022 debut that ended in three defeats as hosts.

The Road Here

Four Players to Watch

What the Camps Are Saying

Head-to-Head

The shortest head-to-head section we will write all tournament - and the most mischievous.

That is the entire series. One meeting, one Qatari win, in a 2018 friendly arranged while Qatar were preparing for their home World Cup. Eight years on, Switzerland get their first chance to even the ledger, with rather more at stake.

Projected Lineups

Projections only - neither manager has named a side for the opener.

Switzerland (3-4-2-1): Kobel; Akanji, Elvedi, Rodriguez; Widmer, Xhaka, Freuler, Muheim; Vargas, Ndoye; Embolo. Yakin's preferred structure is well-grooved: Xhaka dictating from deep, Akanji stepping out of the back line, and the wide pair feeding Embolo.

Qatar: Lopetegui's shape is likely to be compact and deep - a back line marshalled by Khoukhi, the experienced Boudiaf and Madibo screening in front, and Afif given licence to break forward off Almoez Ali. Expect Qatar to concede the ball and play for moments.

The Venue

Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara - listed as San Francisco Bay Area Stadium for the tournament - is the home of the NFL's 49ers. The noon local kick-off lands at 3pm Eastern, a comfortable Saturday afternoon slot for Canadian viewers, and the stadium reappears on Group B's radar quickly: if the group winner comes from this match, their Round of 32 tie is in Vancouver on 2 July.

Full Odds Board

All odds from bet365, captured 6 June 2026 at 12:46 PM PT. Odds subject to change.

All six players listed are named in Switzerland's 26-man World Cup squad. Further players, including Qatar's attackers, available at bet365.

Asian Lines

Market Features on This Match

Bet365 has tagged the major markets as Same Game Parlay eligible, and is running three pre-built Bet Boosts on this fixture, all built around Swiss attacking volume - the boosted prices are shown in the table above. The Money Line carries Early Payout (bets on a team settle as winners if that side goes two goals ahead - a feature with obvious relevance at -1.5/-2.0 spreads) and Parlay Boost, while the player markets run with Sub On Play On, which keeps score-or-assist bets alive if the player enters as a substitute. Standard terms apply to each feature - check the conditions at bet365 before relying on any of them.

What the Market Is Saying

Strip the prices back to implied probabilities and this is the most lopsided read of the opening round. Switzerland at 1.22 implies roughly an 82 percent chance of winning in 90 minutes. The tie at 6.00 implies about 17 percent, and Qatar at 12.00 about 8 percent, with the few points beyond 100 representing the bookmaker's margin. For comparison among the openers we have covered: England were priced at 1.70, the USA at 1.95. Nobody else is close to 1.22.

The spread says the same thing with more precision. Switzerland -1.5/-2.0 at 1.925 against Qatar +1.5/+2.0 at the same price means the market's central expectation is a Swiss win by around two goals. The goal line at 2.5/3.0 is the highest we have published this tournament, and Over 2.5 at 1.66 is comfortably favoured - a one-sided, multi-goal profile rather than a cagey one. The Result/Total table makes it explicit: Switzerland combined with Over 2.5 is the 1.83 favourite of the six combinations.

Then there is the quiet detail that all six players in the score-or-assist table are Swiss. The market's view of where the goals come from, in one column. For Canadian readers there is a practical layer too: if Saturday goes the way it is priced, Switzerland will likely arrive at BC Place on 24 June with the group lead, and Canada's 18 June meeting with Qatar grows teeth as the probable battle for second.

SK Note