World Cup 2026: Switzerland Can Book Early for 2026

Slovenia vs Switzerland

An away win when World Cup 2026: Slovenia vs Switzerland plays out at the SRC Stozice on Monday night will be enough to send the Swiss to the finals in Canada, Mexico and the USA next year.

Half way through the qualifiers and Murat Yakin’s Switzerland are already five points clear at the top of Group B, after winning three from three, and one more victory will be enough to cement their place. The visitors come into the game on the back of an impressive 2-0 win away to Sweden while Slovenia drew 0-0 away to Kosovo and currently sit in third place and seven points behind the Swiss.

Slovenia head coach Matjaz Kek will set his side up to frustrate their visitors, knowing that a positive result will keep them in the hunt for second and a play-off place; but, while the Slovenia vs Switzerland betting odds predict a tight game, an away win is odds on and the hosts need to step up from their performances so far. 

 

Talking Points

Sesko’s time to shine

Slovenia lost in their previous game against the Swiss and have drawn with Kosovo and Sweden and, while a win on Tuesday would lift their prospects significantly, I suspect Kek would be reasonably happy with another point and a chance to win the remaining six pointers against Sweden and Kosovo.    

The hosts do have star quality at either end of the pitch, with Manchester United’s £74m striker Benjamn Sesko leading the line. The 6ft 5in striker is already learning all about the pressure of being a Red Devils player and he has received mixed reviews so far, though he has scored two goals in seven games for his new club. At Red Bull Leipzig Sesko scored 27 goals in 64 games, and he bagged 22 in 44 games on loan at FC Liefering before that. Still only 22 years of age he has already earned 44 caps, scoring 16 goals and Sesko is a handful for any defence. As his confidence grows and he gains more experience he will get better, but Slovenia need their biggest scoring star to perform right now.

At the opposite end of the pitch Atletico Madrid goalkeeper Jan Oblak is another world class talent and he needs just two more games to get to 83 and become the most capped stopper in Slovenian history. After conceding three goals in a loss to Switzerland the Slovenia boss put more emphasis on defence against Kosovo, which resulted in a goalless draw, so he will be looking to strike a balance on Tuesday.  

 

Xhaka the leader

Three wins from their first three Group B games, scoring nine goals and conceding none, the Swiss have been superb so far and it would take a monumental collapse for them to miss out on qualification. The trip to Sweden was probably Switzerland’s biggest test in the group but they dispatched the Swedes clinically as captain Granit Xhaka who, as a central midfielder, scored the opener against Sweden to make it three goal contributions in four games. Xhaka’s Sunderland have made a strong start to their new life in the Premier League, and it is no coincidence that the former Arsenal and Bayer Leverkusen man has played all seven games for the Black Cats. He had his moments at Arsenal, falling out with the fans at the Emirates, but he was a pivotal part of Leverkusen’s Bundesliga triumph in 2024. 

This is a squad full of quality, with Borussia Dortmund keeper Gregor Kobel, protected by a centre back partnership of Manuel Akanji and Nico Elvedi; Bologna’s Remo Freuler alongside Xhaka in midfield and with Breel Embolo and Ruben Vargas up front.      

 

History

When the two teams met in September the Swiss ran out 3-0 winners, and they have had much the better of the head to head Slovenia vs Switzerland results, winning six of the last seven encounters.

Switzerland are aiming to qualify for the World Cup finals for the sixth time in succession, while Slovenia have been at the finals twice, in 2002 and 2010 and they reached the Round of 16 at Euro 2016. And the visitors have been in superb form in 2025, winning six games on the bounce while Slovenia too have been strong, winning three, drawing two and losing one, but they are without a victory in three.   

 

Betting Tip

Switzerland are the clear favourites to win this game at SBOTOP odds of 1.67 with the Draw at 3.60 and Slovenia at 5.00; so there is a case to be made for the Slovenians successfully frustrating their visitors. I do think Switzerland will prevail but it will be tight and I’m backing a game with two goals or fewer.

There is no doubt in my mind that Switzerland will be in the USA next summer.   

   

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