Switzerland beat Colombia on penalties to reach World Cup quarters

Switzerland edge Colombia on penalties to reach first World Cup quarter-final since 1954

Switzerland booked a place in the World Cup quarter-finals on Tuesday, beating Colombia 4-3 on penalties after a goalless 120 minutes in the round of 16. Ruben Vargas converted the decisive spot-kick to seal the Swiss their first World Cup last-eight appearance since 1954, according to The Athletic’s live updates.

The Athletic reported that clear-cut chances were scarce throughout the match in Vancouver. The combined expected-goals tally in the opening 90 minutes stood at 0.7 — the lowest of any game at the 2026 tournament through normal time — with Colombia registering 0.4 and Switzerland 0.3, and only four shots on target were produced before extra time.

Switzerland’s reward is a meeting with reigning world champions Argentina at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City on Saturday July 11, kicking off at 9pm ET. The winner of that tie will face the winner of Norway versus England, who meet at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami at 5pm ET the same day. The quarter-final programme begins on Thursday July 9 with France against Morocco at Gillette Stadium.

The Swiss had advanced past their group and beaten Algeria to reach this round, and the Colombia victory makes them the first Switzerland team to progress through two knockout ties at a single World Cup. It is also their first-ever World Cup penalty shootout win, and only their second at a major tournament after eliminating France on penalties at Euro 2020.

Colombia’s knockout drought in extra time continues

Colombia forward Luis Diaz, formerly of Liverpool, exited the tournament in the most painful fashion after teammate Mohamed Salah’s Egypt had earlier squandered a 2-0 lead against Argentina in the day’s earlier match, conceding three late goals. According to The Athletic, Colombia have now been eliminated in all three of their World Cup knockout matches that went to extra time — a joint record for a nation never to survive one, level with Romania and Mexico.

Both of Colombia’s shootout defeats at this stage have come against European sides, echoing their loss to England at the same round in 2018. A broader pattern also worked against them: the team kicking second has now won 13 of the last 15 World Cup shootouts, and all four shootouts at this tournament have been won by the side taking the second penalty — Paraguay, Morocco, Egypt and now Switzerland.

Colombian forward Luis Suarez told FIFA after the match that the squad was “destined for better things” and urged the country to view the campaign as “a major turning point.” Midfielder Gustavo Puerta finished with 14 shots and no goals — the most by any player at this World Cup without scoring, and the most by any Colombian on record at a single edition since 1966, according to The Athletic.

Why it matters

For Switzerland, the result ends a 72-year absence from the World Cup’s last eight, a drought the country’s supporters in Vancouver marked with flags, scarves and a banner depicting Granit Xhaka as the Statue of Liberty cradling the World Cup trophy. The Athletic noted that Ricardo Rodriguez has now started 31 consecutive matches at major tournaments since the 2014 World Cup — the most of any European outfielder in that span apart from England’s Harry Kane, who has 33.

For Colombia, elimination reinforces a long-standing pattern in knockout football. Their three extra-time exits at World Cups have all ended in defeat, and the squad now returns home having failed to convert a campaign in which Puerta’s chance-creation repeatedly failed to produce goals.

The result also has knock-on effects for the wider bracket. Switzerland’s progression keeps a sixth UEFA team in the quarter-finals alongside France, Spain, Belgium, Norway and England, with only Argentina and Morocco representing South America and Africa respectively.

Where the reporting sits and what remains unconfirmed

The Athletic’s live coverage is the only source available for this match within the supplied material, and its factual claims — the 0-0 scoreline, the 4-3 shootout, Vargas’s decisive kick, and the historical records — are presented consistently across both URL versions. The Athletic also embeds opinion from its writers, who name France as their preferred tournament winner; that is editorial forecast rather than reported fact and is reproduced here only as the publication’s stated view.

The Athletic’s reference to a 2026 World Cup being staged across North American venues is consistent with the fixture list it lists — Gillette Stadium, SoFi Stadium, Hard Rock Stadium and Arrowhead Stadium — but the supplied material does not name the host nations explicitly beyond the USMNT article’s reference to games in Seattle, Los Angeles and Santa Clara. Confirmation of the formal host-country designation was not present in the sourced text.

The Athletic’s record that Switzerland have never previously progressed from two knockout ties at a single World Cup, and that this is their first World Cup penalty shootout win, is presented without contradiction in the supplied material and can be treated as the outlet’s reporting.

Comparisons and scale

The 0.7 combined expected-goals figure across 90 minutes is the lowest of any match at the 2026 tournament through normal time, framing this as one of the lowest-quality knockout performances on record at a World Cup. Switzerland’s shootout victory is only their second at any major tournament, and their first at a World Cup, putting the result in rare historical company.

Colombia’s run of three consecutive extra-time eliminations matches Romania and Mexico, while Puerta’s 14 goalless shots set a tournament and a national record. The Athletic’s penalty-kicking trend — 13 of the last 15 World Cup shootouts won by the side kicking second — supplies a long-run benchmark that contextualises why Switzerland, who converted fourth after Colombia had missed, were able to take advantage.

Stakeholders, winners and losers

Switzerland are the clear sporting beneficiaries: a 72-year wait ended, a place in the last eight secured, and a winnable path to the semi-finals opened against an Argentina side The Athletic’s coverage repeatedly describes as having escaped close ties against lesser opposition. Colombia exit with progress in the group and a creditable run to the last 16, but without a knockout-stage win at a World Cup since 2018.

Argentina, meanwhile, retain defending-champion status but face a Switzerland team that The Athletic notes will need to create more chances to trouble them. Norway and England also gain a clearer picture of their potential semi-final opponent. The Athletic’s editorial writers split between France and Argentina as their predicted champions, reflecting the lack of consensus on the eventual winner.

What to watch next

Saturday July 11 is the pivotal date for Switzerland. Their quarter-final against Argentina at Arrowhead Stadium kicks off at 9pm ET. The Athletic has noted that Switzerland’s overall performance was “desperately poor” and that they will need to generate more chances against the reigning champions to progress.

Earlier that day, Norway face England at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami at 5pm ET to decide Switzerland’s potential semi-final opponent. The wider quarter-final programme begins Thursday July 9 with France versus Morocco at Gillette Stadium at 4pm ET, followed on Friday by Spain versus Belgium at SoFi Stadium at 3pm ET. The Athletic’s writers are watching the fitness of Morocco striker Ismael Saibari ahead of that tie, though no confirmation on his availability was contained in the sourced material.

For Colombia, the next scheduled competitive fixtures were not detailed in the supplied sources, and it remains to be seen whether Luis Suarez’s call for the run to be treated as a “major turning point” translates into changes in the squad’s composition or coaching staff.