Los Angeles, June 18 (IANS) Switzerland and Bosnia & Herzegovina head into their FIFA World Cup 2026 Group B clash at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, searching for their first victory after opening their respective campaigns with 1-1 draws.

Switzerland were held by Qatar despite producing the stronger performance, with Breel Embolo scoring before a late own goal denied Murat Yakin’s side all three points. While the Swiss dominated large spells of the contest, their inability to convert chances proved costly, leaving them with work to do in a tightly contested group.

Bosnia & Herzegovina, making their first World Cup appearance since 2014, also began with a draw against Canada. Jovo Lukic found the net as Sergej Barbarez’s side earned a valuable point, despite Canada creating enough opportunities to win comfortably.

With both teams already dropping points, Thursday’s meeting has added significance in the race for a place in the knockout stages. Switzerland will look to control possession through Granit Xhaka, while the attacking threat of Embolo and the wing-backs could prove decisive if they are more clinical in front of goal.

Bosnia are expected to adopt a compact defensive approach and rely on counter-attacks. The sides have met only once, with Bosnia recording a 2-0 friendly victory in 2016, with goals from Edin Dzeko and Miralem Pjanic.

How to watch Switzerland vs Bosnia and Herzegovina live in India

Live streaming and live telecast of the FIFA World Cup 2026 matches will be available on the Zee5 platform and app in India. A subscription will be needed.

Live telecast of the FIFA World Cup 2026 will be available on the Unite8 Sports 1, Unite8 Sports 1 HD, Unite8 Sports 2, and Unite8 Sports 2 HD TV channels in India.

Key details

Date and kick-off time: Friday, June 19, 12:30 AM IST

Venue: SoFi Stadium, Los Angeles, California, USA

Referee: Joao Pinheiro

Squads:

Switzerland:

Goalkeepers: Gregor Kobel, Yvon Mvogo, Jonas Omlin.

Defenders: Manuel Akanji, Nico Elvedi, Ricardo Rodríguez, Silvan Widmer, Cédric Zesiger, Eray Cömert, Ulisses Garcia, Lucas Blondel, Becir Omeragic.

Midfielders: Granit Xhaka, Denis Zakaria, Remo Freuler, Ardon Jashari, Vincent Sierro, Michel Aebischer, Fabian Rieder, Dan Ndoye, Ruben Vargas, Renato Steffen, Filip Ugrinic.

Forwards: Breel Embolo, Zeki Amdouni, Noah Okafor, Joel Monteiro, Kwadwo Duah, Albian Hajdari.

Bosnia and Herzegovina –

Goalkeepers: Osman Hadzikic, Nikola Vasilj, Martin Zlomislic

Defenders: Amar Dedic, Dennis Hadzikadunic, Nikola Katic, Sead Kolasinac, Arjan Malic, Tarik Muharemovic, Nihad Mujakic, Stjepan Radeljic

Midfielders: Kerim Alajbegovic, Esmir Bajraktarevic, Ivan Basic, Dzenis Burnic, Armina Gigovic, Amir Hadziahmetovic, Ermin Mahmic, Amar Memic, Ivan Sunjic, Benjamin Tahirovic

Forwards: Samed Bazdar, Ermedin Demirovic, Edin Dzeko, Jovo Lukic, Haris Tabakovic

–IANS

vi/bc