Switzerland & Austria qualify for 2026 World Cup

The national teams of Switzerland and Austria have officially secured their places in the 2026 FIFA World Cup after completing their European qualification campaigns on Tuesday evening, confirming their dominance in their respective groups and clinching direct qualification.

The Swiss national team settled for a 1–1 draw against Kosovo in their match at Fadil Vokrri Stadium in the sixth round of qualifiers.

Despite the draw, Switzerland raised its tally to 14 points at the top of Group B, securing direct qualification to the World Cup. 

The first half was balanced, with play concentrated in midfield and no real chances, ending goalless.

At the start of the second half, Switzerland took the lead through Ruben Vargas in the 47th minute, before Florent Muslija equalized for Kosovo in the 74th minute. 

The draw was not enough for the hosts, who needed to win by six goals to snatch direct qualification.

With this result, Kosovo finished second with 11 points and will participate in the playoffs for a World Cup spot.

In another group, Austria claimed its World Cup ticket after an important 1–1 draw against Bosnia and Herzegovina at Ernst Happel Stadium in the eighth and final round of qualifiers.

Haris Tabaković opened the scoring for Bosnia in the 12th minute, capitalizing on his team’s strong start. 

Austria responded in the second half, equalizing through Michael Gregoritsch in the 77th minute.

Austria thus raised its tally to 19 points at the top of the group, securing its place in the 2026 World Cup. 

Bosnia and Herzegovina reached 17 points in second place, seeing their dream of reaching the World Cup slip away.

With this, Switzerland and Austria officially join the list of qualified teams for the highly anticipated global tournament.