Qatar earned the first World Cup point in the country’s history on the date of 2026-06-13, drawing 1-1 with Switzerland in a group-stage match in Santa Clara, California.

Boualem Khoukhi scored the equaliser four minutes into second-half stoppage time, heading in at the back post to complete a result that had looked unlikely for much of the contest. Switzerland had led since the first half through a Breel Embolo penalty and had created far more of the game’s attacking pressure, but Qatar stayed within reach until the closing moments.

The match was Qatar’s opening game of the tournament and only the country’s second appearance at the World Cup finals, after it hosted the 2022 edition. In that earlier tournament, Qatar lost all three matches. This result therefore marked a significant competitive step: the first time Qatar had avoided defeat in a World Cup match and the first time it had collected a point at the finals.

Switzerland made an unsettled start when Manuel Akanji’s early defensive error gave Edmilson Junior a chance in the second minute, but the forward’s effort was handled by goalkeeper Gregor Kobel. After that reprieve, Switzerland took greater control. The breakthrough came after goalkeeper Mahmoud Abunada collided with Remo Freuler in the area. Following a stoppage, Embolo converted from the penalty spot, sending the goalkeeper the wrong way.

The penalty decision drew attention because of questions over offside in the build-up. The New York Times reported that FIFA later said a brief technical outage had prevented an onside animation graphic from being produced before the penalty, while adding that the VAR workflow was not affected and that the lines used in the review did not show an attacking player in an offside position in either relevant phase before the decision.

Switzerland continued to have the better of the first half, while Qatar’s most notable threat before the interval again came from Edmilson Junior, who forced Kobel into a save during a rare attack. AFP reported that Switzerland finished with 26 shots, a measure of the pressure Murat Yakin’s side applied without securing a second goal.

The second half produced fewer clear openings. Granit Xhaka sent a long-range effort narrowly over, and Embolo later found the side netting, but Switzerland could not turn its territorial advantage into a decisive margin. Qatar, coached by Julen Lopetegui in his first World Cup match, introduced changes and remained organised enough to keep the deficit at one.

That persistence was rewarded in the 94th minute when Khoukhi, 35, rose to meet the decisive delivery and powered his header in, prompting celebrations from the Qatar bench. The result denied Switzerland a winning start as it sought to continue a run of reaching the knockout stage at recent World Cups.

The group schedule was set to continue with Switzerland facing Bosnia in Los Angeles and Qatar meeting co-hosts Canada in Vancouver on Thursday.