Pre-World Cup 2026 friendlies: Switzerland-Australia, likely lineups
Saturday night at 9 p.m., San Diego’s Snapdragon Stadium is preparing to host the very last friendly test before the 2026 World Cup whistle for Australia and Switzerland. The Socceroos, led on the bench by Tony Popovic, arrive at this fixture in low spirits after a narrow defeat in the pre-World Cup outing against Mexico, marking their fourth loss in their last six matches. Deprived of outstanding players, the Australian selection risks exiting the World Cup very soon given the very difficult Group D that sees it together with Paraguay, Turkey and the United States. On the other hand, the mood is opposite at the Swiss side, where Murat Yakin’s Red Swiss are flying on the wings of enthusiasm after a 4-1 victory over Jordan. Backed by a world-class roster and fresh from an excellent run at the last European Championship, Switzerland is aiming to close its march to the World Cup with another success.
Murat Yakin chooses a very closed and compact team. In front of Kobel, the defensive line will rely on the experience of Widmer, Elvedi, Akanji and Ricardo Rodríguez. The keys of the midfield will be in the hands of the solid Freuler-Xhaka pair, supported by the dynamism of Manzambi, while the offensive trident sees Okafor and Vargas acting wide on the flanks of the central terminal Embolo.
Tony Popovic will respond instead with a more covered setup in the middle of the field. Ryan will defend the posts, protected by the back trio of Circati, Souttar and Herrington. In midfield, Italiano and Bos will man the outside lanes with Metcalfe and O’Neill in the middle. In the three-quarter, Volpato and Irankunda will be in charge of inventing and supporting the only forward Mohamed Touré.
Probable formations
Switzerland (4-3-3): Kobel; Widmer, Elvedi, Akanji, Rodriguez; Freuler, Xhaka, Manzambi; Vargas, Embolo, Okafor. All. Yakin.
Australia (3-4-2-1):Ryan; Circati, Souttar, Herrington; Italiano, Metcalfe, O’Neill, Bos; Irankunda, Volpato; Mohamed Touré. All. Popovic.
