Switzerland breaks its penalty curse, with European teams taking six of the World Cup quarterfinal spots

Written by Han Bing As of July 8 Beijing time, the Round of 16 at the USA-Canada-Mexico World Cup has finished, with the quarterfinalists decided. Europe occupies six slots, South America (Argentina) and Africa (Morocco) have one each. Can Europe once again lift the World Cup trophy?

The Switzerland vs. Colombia Round of 16 clash was the last match played outside the U.S. It was as dull as the damp air in Vancouver’s stadium. The two sides were locked in a chess-like battle, spending most of their time in physical contests. They produced the only 0-0 draw in the tournament’s 24 knockout matches so far, leaving the penalty shootout as the only spark for the crowd.

Colombia’s Davinson Sánchez and Hernández both missed their penalties, allowing Switzerland to win 4-3 on spot kicks and reach the World Cup quarterfinals for the first time in 72 years. Swiss coach Murat Yakin, of Turkish descent, has become one of the most successful managers in the nation’s history. The Yakin brothers have long competed on the pitch; older brother Murat was a lesser player than his sibling Hakan, but as a coach, he has outperformed him.

Switzerland’s main attacker, Manzanbi, was sidelined by injury, so Yakin set a defensive game plan. Both teams missed several clear chances in regular time, especially Colombia, whose Lucumí hit the crossbar with a header. Their crossbar curse continued into the shootout: Davinson Sánchez, taking the second penalty, again struck the crossbar. Although Switzerland’s Akanji also sent his shot over the bar, Swiss goalkeeper Kobel saved Hernández’s penalty in the fourth round.

Since the 2006 World Cup Round of 16, Switzerland had lost four of its previous five penalty shootouts in World Cups and European Championships. In 2006 (World Cup) and 2016 (Euros), they lost on penalties and missed the quarterfinals; in Euro 2020 and 2024, they again lost shootouts and failed to reach the semifinals. This time, the Swiss finally broke through.

After the match, an emotional Yakin said, “I’ll probably need at least a day to digest this historic breakthrough.”

This is Switzerland’s fourth World Cup quarterfinal appearance since 1934, and only their second since 1954. In the previous three, the team played at most four matches, but this is the first time they have won two consecutive knockout games in a single World Cup. Reaching the quarterfinals means they have played a record six games in one edition, while also setting a new mark for most wins in a single tournament (three).

The Turkish-descended Yakin brothers are Swiss football legends. Younger brother Hakan won two Swiss Footballer of the Year awards and one Swiss Super League Golden Boot, and played for Paris Saint-Germain and Stuttgart, but as a coach he now finds himself in the Swiss second division. Older brother Murat’s coaching career has taken him from Grasshoppers Zurich to Spartak Moscow and then the Swiss national team, winning back-to-back Swiss league titles and being named Swiss Super League Coach of the Year twice. Since taking over Switzerland in 2021, he has led the team to quarterfinals in both the Euros and the World Cup, surpassing his predecessor Petković. Previously, famous coaches like Kuhn, Hitzfeld, and Petković only took Switzerland to the Round of 16. The early-era coach Rappan did lead them to World Cup quarterfinals in 1938 and 1954, but in 1938 they played only three matches, and in 1954 they advanced from the group stage only to lose in the first knockout round—so those quarterfinal runs were less impressive than Yakin’s.

Notably, since the 2014 World Cup, Switzerland has reached the knockout stage in four consecutive World Cups and, combined with three European Championships, has made the Round of 16 in seven straight major tournaments. In the last four major tournaments, they have reached the quarterfinals three times—a record of consistency that puts many European powerhouses to shame.

With Switzerland advancing, the USA-Canada-Mexico World Cup quarterfinal lineup is complete. European teams occupy six spots, while South America (Argentina) and Africa (Morocco) have just one each, highlighting Europe’s dominance in football.

The last time European sides held six quarterfinal places was at the 2018 World Cup in Russia, when only Brazil and Uruguay from South America challenged the European monopoly. Ultimately, European teams swept the semifinals. In recent history, the fewest European quarterfinalists were in 2002 and 2010, but even then they accounted for half the spots.

Interestingly, every previous World Cup where European teams took six of the eight quarterfinal places ended with a European champion: Italy in 1938, England in 1966, Germany in 1954, 1974, and 1990, France in 1998 and 2018, and Italy in 2006. In 1958 and 1994, Brazil succeeded in “soloing” seven European teams. Whether this streak of a European winner when holding six quarterfinal spots continues now depends on how Argentina and Morocco perform.