Switzerland secured their place in the quarter-finals of the 2026 FIFA World Cup after defeating Colombia 4-3 on penalties, following a goalless draw in both regular time and extra time on Wednesday at BC Place stadium in Vancouver, Canada.
Switzerland completed the quarter-final lineup and will face Argentina in the next round, a side that had earlier edged past Egypt with difficulty.
Colombia enjoyed a relative advantage during the first half, threatening the Swiss goal on several occasions, most notably in the 21st minute when Kevin Buerta struck a dangerous shot, only for goalkeeper Gregor Kobel to make a superb save and keep his net clean.
Colombia continued their attacking efforts, and Luis Díaz nearly gave his side the lead in the 32nd minute after cutting in from the left and firing towards goal, but Manuel Akanji intervened at the right moment and cleared the ball for a corner kick.
The game changed in the second half, which saw Switzerland assert dominance and become the more threatening side, benefiting from a drop in Colombia's physical output as Swiss pressure gradually increased towards the end of regular time.
Switzerland squandered their most dangerous chance in the first minute of stoppage time, when Akanji played the ball to Dan Ndoye, who unleashed a powerful low shot that passed just wide of the goal, leaving regular time to end in a goalless draw.
In extra time, the two sides exchanged chances without either managing to break the deadlock, leaving the tie to be decided by a penalty shootout, which ultimately went in Switzerland's favour.