Qatar, Switzerland Name World Cup Lineups as Xhaka and Rodriguez Reach 13th Tournament

Q: Why did Qatar risk its World Cup opener by dropping its top qualifying goal scorer?

Qatar did not drop its top qualifying scorer from the World Cup squad, but it did leave Almoez Ali out of the starting lineup against Switzerland, apparently as a tactical call rather than a disciplinary or long-term selection decision. The available reporting points to Julen Lopetegui prioritizing structure and defensive balance against a stronger Swiss side. Switzerland arrived with the same back line that started all six qualifiers and conceded only two goals, while Lopetegui had already said Qatar, as clear outsiders, would likely spend long periods defending. In that context, Qatar appears to have chosen a front three built around Akram Afif’s creativity and link play rather than Ali’s penalty-box finishing. That does carry risk. Ali was Qatar’s leading scorer in Asian qualifying and remains one of the country’s most proven forwards. But the broader evidence suggests the move was about matchup management: against physically strong, organized opponents, Qatar may have felt Afif, Edmilson Junior and Abdurisag offered more mobility, pressing, or transition threat from the start. There is also no indication from the available material that Ali was dropped because of injury, suspension or a major loss of status. He remains part of the squad and a key attacking option. So the decision looks less like abandoning their best scorer and more like a calculated attempt to make Qatar more competitive in a game where they expected to defend deep and attack selectively.

3 articles · Updated · The Guardian · Jun 13

Qatar made four changes from the side that sealed qualification, dropping Asian qualifying top scorer Almoez while twice Asian Player of the Year Akram Afif leads the attack.
Switzerland kept the defensive unit that started all six qualifiers and conceded just two goals, while Denis Zakaria returned and Silvan Widmer missed out.
Granit Xhaka and Ricardo Rodriguez both reached a national-record 13th World Cup appearance for Switzerland in the announced lineup.
Swiss 20-year-old attacking midfielder Johan Manzambi, who started recent friendlies, was named on the bench.