Switzerland Dealt Unfortunate News Ahead of World Cup Game Against Argentina

Kansas City Stadium hosts its final match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup on Saturday night and the occasion carries real weight. Switzerland and defending champion Argentina meet in the quarterfinals, and for the Swiss, this run already means something.

They've gone out in the round of 16 in four of their last five World Cup appearances but this time they've made it to the final eight. Switzerland will also likely be playing in front of a crowd that's firmly behind Argentina on Saturday night.

A win on Saturday would put them in the semifinals for the first time in the nation's history, the last time coming all the way back in 1954. The problem is Switzerland will have to do it without one of the players who helped get them here.

Johan Manzambi Injury a Blow for Switzerland

Head coach Murat Yakin confirmed that Johan Manzambi will miss the Argentina quarterfinal after failing to recover from the knee injury that also kept him out of the round of 16 win over Colombia.

The 20-year-old attacking midfielder had been one of the tournament's standout performers before going down, scoring three goals and adding two assists across 200 minutes in the group stage.

"Unfortunately, Johan Manzambi's injury hurts us enormously," Yakin said ahead of the match. "It was a real shock. He had momentum on his side. You could see the joy with which he was playing and also how his teammates responded. You could see how well everything had been functioning during this tournament. Unfortunately, he can't play."

Losing that kind of form and energy heading into the biggest game of their tournament run is a real blow. Switzerland has never beaten Argentina in seven previous meetings.

Their last World Cup meeting came in the 2014 round of 16, a 1-0 extra-time loss settled in the 118th minute by Angel Di Maria off a move created by Lionel Messi. Captain Granit Xhaka and left back Ricardo Rodriguez both played that night.

Breel Embolo, Ruben Vargas and Dan Ndoye will need to step up and create against a heavily favored Argentine side.

Related: Spain's Lamine Yamal Drops Cristiano Ronaldo's Name When Defining 'Aura'

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This story was originally published July 10, 2026 at 5:51 PM.