Switzerland Focuses on Taking on Argentina, Akanji Is Not Daunted by the Big Challenge Ahead

Switzerland do not have much time to celebrate their success in eliminating Colombia from the 2026 World Cup Round of 16. Having secured their quarter-final ticket after a dramatic penalty shootout, Murat Yakin's squad have now shifted their full focus to the upcoming quarter-final match against Argentina.

Switzerland's key defender Manuel Akanji acknowledges that Argentina will be his side's toughest test of the entire tournament. Even so, he emphasised that Switzerland are arriving with full confidence and ready to put up maximum resistance.

"Going up against defending champions Argentina, I don't think there is any bigger challenge than this. Every round gets harder as the tournament progresses, but we believe we are ready to face this challenge," stated Akanji.

Switzerland advanced to the quarter-finals after a physically draining match against Colombia. Both sides played out a goalless draw over 120 minutes before Switzerland sealed the win via penalties.

Despite his team progressing, Akanji endured a difficult moment during the shootout. The Inter Milan defender missed his penalty attempt, after changing his decision on where to place the kick in the final split second before striking the ball.

"I changed my mind right at the last second. I was originally going to shoot to the top left corner. I had already visualised that ball going in multiple times, but as you saw, things just didn't work out that way," Akanji explained.

He described this miss as one of the hardest experiences of his professional career. Fortunately, his teammates kept their composure under pressure, which ultimately saw Switzerland come out victorious.

"That was a really tough penalty for me. All credit goes to the rest of the lads, they stepped up and executed their responsibilities perfectly," added the 31-year-old player.

According to Akanji, penalty shootout success is not only determined by kicking technique, but also the mental readiness of every player. For this reason, Switzerland had already carried out special preparations ahead of the match for scenarios that would be decided from the penalty spot.

All of Switzerland's focus is now fully turned towards the clash against defending champions Argentina, led by Lionel Messi. While acknowledging the quality of their opponents, Akanji confirmed that Switzerland will not alter their game approach, nor will they doubt their own abilities.

"We believe we can compete against any opponent, and make every match very difficult for whoever we face. We know that this game against Argentina will be tough, but we will give absolutely everything we have," said Akanji.