Manzambi leads Switzerland into World Cup knockout clash with Algeria

Johan Manzambi went into Switzerland’s round of 16 against Algeria after scoring twice against Bosnia and Herzegovina, winning player of the match, and FIFA listed him as one of the tournament’s young players to watch. The match was set for BC Place in Vancouver on Thursday, July 2, 2026, at 8 p.m. local time, which meant 5 a.m. on July 3 in Bern and 4 a.m. on July 3 in Algiers.

Switzerland reached the knockout tie unbeaten, having beaten Bosnia and Herzegovina and Canada and drawn Qatar in the group stage. Murat Yakin’s side had advanced from the group phase in four straight World Cups, but it had not reached the quarterfinals since 1954. This was Switzerland’s 13th World Cup, and its best finishes remained the quarterfinal runs in 1934, 1938 and 1954.

The 20-year-old had three goals in his first 13 appearances for the national team, and FIFA listed him as the youngest player in the Swiss squad. His first World Cup came after a standout season with Freiburg, where he was used as an attacker, a defensive midfielder and a winger.

Algeria advanced as one of the best third-placed teams after losing to Argentina, beating Jordan and drawing Austria. This was its fifth World Cup and its first since 2014, when it reached the round of 16 and pushed Germany into extra time. Vladimir Petković, who once coached Switzerland to the round of 16 at the 2018 World Cup and to the quarterfinals of Euro 2020, has led Algeria since February 2024.

Switzerland’s projected lineup featured Gregor Kobel, Aurele Amenda Jaquez, Nico Elvedi, Manuel Akanji, Ricardo Rodríguez, Remo Freuler, Granit Xhaka, Manzambi, Ruben Vargas, Dan Ndoye and Breel Embolo. Algeria’s expected XI included Alexis Benbout, Youcef Belghali, Aïssa Mandi, Ramy Bensebaini, Rayan Aït Nouri, Nabil Bentaleb, Houssem Aouar, Ibrahim Maza, Riyad Mahrez, Amine Chaïbi and Mohammed Gouiri.