Argentina face Switzerland at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, United States, in the quarterfinals of the 2026 World Cup. The European team does not have Johan Manzambi in the starting eleven, missing their main offensive weapon and one of their biggest stars in a tournament that expects a massive fan attendance.
The forward, who plays for Freiburg in Germany, will miss this match against Argentina, who currently sit third in the FIFA rankings. Manzambi is sidelined due to a left knee injury carried over from the final training session before the Round of 16 matchup against Colombia, which he was also unable to play.
“Unfortunately, he will not be able to play tomorrow. We tried, but he still cannot play,” head coach Murat Yakin stated during the pre-match press conference for a fixture that already has confirmed referees.
A massive blow for Switzerland
Manzambi, just 20 years old, is one of the absolute breakout stars of this World Cup. He began the tournament as a substitute but earned a starting role for the third match thanks to his excellent performances off the bench. Unfortunately, the injury prevented him from continuing to lead the Europeans.
Johan Manzambi #9 of Switzerland.
Against Bosnia, he scored two goals in just 19 minutes, and he also found the net against Canada in the Group B finale, while also recording two assists. Now, he will be sidelined against Argentina in one of the most important matches in their history, where a win, loss, or draw can completely change their path.
Manzambi’s absence makes Switzerland‘s task against Argentina all the more difficult. The holders are unbeaten in their last 11 World Cup matches (W9 D2), their longest run without defeat in the competition’s history, though they were given a scare by Egypt last time out, recovering from 2-0 down to win 3-2.
Switzerland have never beaten Argentina in seven attempts in all competitions (D2 L5). They have only faced Russia more often without ever winning in their history (12, including games vs the USSR).
