Argentina vs Switzerland LIVE, FIFA World Cup 2026: Messi’s ARG eye semifinal spot vs SUI; Lineups out
Argentina vs Switzerland Live Score, FIFA World Cup 2026 Quarterfinal Match Updates: On one side of the field stands Argentina, the defending World Cup champions, boasting a roster that features Lionel Messi, Lautaro Martínez, and Julián Álvarez. On the other side, Switzerland, a team that has never reached the World Cup semifinals and hasn’t featured in the quarterfinals since hosting the tournament in 1954.
The mismatch on paper, however, could be deceiving. Argentina have looked vulnerable throughout the knockout rounds, struggling past Cape Verde in extra time and needing a late rally to edge past Egypt. That has given hope to a Swiss side that knocked out Colombia on penalties to earn this date with the defending champions. “Few talk about the Swiss qualities,” captain Granit Xhaka said. “Tomorrow we will talk on the pitch.”
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The winner of Saturday’s clash at Arrowhead Stadium will face England in the semifinals on Wednesday in Atlanta, after the Three Lions defeated Norway 2-1 earlier in the day. Jude Bellingham lit up the show with a brace to send England through.
Starting Lineups
Argentina (4-1-3-2): Emiliano Martínez; Nicolás Tagliafico, Lisandro Martínez, Cristian Romero, Nahuel Molina; Leandro Paredes; Rodrigo De Paul, Alexis Mac Allister, Enzo Fernández; Julián Álvarez, Lionel Messi
Switzerland (4-2-3-1): Gregor Kobel; Nico Elvedi, Manuel Akanji, Ricardo Rodriguez, Denis Zakaria; Remo Freuler, Granit Xhaka; Djibril Sow, Fabian Rieder, Dan Ndoye; Breel Embolo
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Live Updates
Lionel Scaloni: How Argentina’s unlikely manager rebuilt Messi and a golden era
Argentina’s head coach Lionel Scaloni kisses Argentina’s Lionel Messi. (FILE photo)
The man that cannot control a traffic. It was Diego Maradona’s brutal assessment of Lionel Scaloni when he was appointed the full-time manager of Argentina in 2018. Argentina had a plethora of glittering names to choose from: the cult figure Marcelo Bielsa, the new-age revolutionary Mauricio Pochettino, the angel of dark arts in black suits, Diego Simeone.
Yet, to resurrect from the post-Moscow World Cup catastrophe, they turned to a largely unknown and unglamorous man. His club journey was scattered in the mid-table clubs of Italy and Spain. He wore his national stripes only seven times. He briefly managed Sevilla and Argentina’s U-20 squad, before joining the backroom staff of Jorge Sampaoli during his catastrophic reign. The federation chose him, reportedly, because he came cheap, and because he was not egoistic; the simplicity of his upbringing in a farming household in Pujato, Santa Fe, showed.
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