Switzerland and Algeria fans hold up flags inside the stadium before the match. Photo: IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters
Switzerland will face a team that knows them well when they meet Algeria in their World Cup last 32 on Thursday (July 2, 2026), with the North Africans coached by Vladimir Petkovic – the man who guided the Swiss national team for seven years.
Petkovic joined Swiss club Chur 97 in 1987, going on to play for and manage a number of Swiss sides before taking the helm of the national team between 2014 and 2021, where he coached the likes of Switzerland captain Granit Xhaka and striker Breel Embolo.
The World Cup clash will not be the first time that current Swiss coach Murat Yakin has faced Petkovic, with the two pitted against each other when coaching in the Swiss league.
Yakin pushed back against the notion that Switzerland would be favourites to go through to the last 16.
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