Heart of Lions Overview

Sahara stripes and bold green trim headline Algeria’s World Cup kit release.

Comprehensive match preview of Switzerland vs Algeria at World Cup 2026. We talk tactics, team news and more ahead of this round of 32 clash at BC Place in Vancouver.

Four nations made debuts at the 2026 World Cup, with Cape Verde, Curacao, Jordan and Uzbekistan gracing the grandest stage in international football for the first time. It is the tournament with the most newcomers since 2006 and Cape Verde have achieved the feat of ending a 16-year wait for a debutant to reach the knockout stages, with the African nation to face Lionel Messi's Argentina on Friday.

June 25, 1982 was, according to The Times, "the day that sportsmanship died". What was expected to be a fiercely competitive fixture between West Germany and Austria became a 'non-aggression pact' between two teams who effectively stopped playing during the second half of their World Cup group game in Gijon to ensure that both progressed to the second round.