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Qatar and Switzerland complete the first round of fixtures in Group B tonight, and there's the opportunity for the winner to go top.
This is one fixture that Qatar have a 100 per cent record against their opponents in: however, it's just the second-ever match-up between these two countries, after an Akram Afif goal beat Switzerland in Lugano, back in 2018.
Yes, that was a long time ago – but Afif is still playing for his country, as are the likes of Granit Xhaka and Remo Freuler, who will line up in the midfield for the Swiss.
Qatar vs Switzerland prediction
The Swiss go into this World Cup with a serious chance of topping a group that also contains co-hosts Canada and Bosnia & Herzegovina, with a nine-point group stage entirely feasible.
Xherdan Shaqiri has unfortunately retired, but the aforementioned Xhaka is coming off another excellent season at Sunderland, and will be key for manager Murat Yakin.
It's a mixed bunch of players who seemingly only surface once every four years for Yakin, with Breel Embolo and Ricardo Rodriguez tournament veterans by now who you probably haven't paid much attention to the club form of, since Euro 2024.
In all seriousness, though, Switzerland have one of the most functional midfields in Europe, with the Freuler/Xhaka pivot complemented by the likes of Johan Manzambi, Ardon Jashari and Denis Zakaria as options, while Dan Ndoye, Zeki Amdouni and Noah Okafor are options to support Embolo as the lone frontman.
Qatar, meanwhile, are four years on from hosting their own competition and now under the stewardship of the hugely experienced Julen Lopetegui – but obvious underdogs here.
The Gulf State became the first World Cup hosts to lose all three group games four years ago, and this time around, they've only picked one player in their 26 who plays outside of Qatar.
That's Homam Ahmed of La Liga 2 side, Qatar's Aspire Academy's Cultural Leonesa.
Qatar reached the tournament this time around in circumstances deemed controversial by some – along with Saudi Arabia, the Maroons finished outside the top two but were got to host all the games of their three-team play-off group – and they haven't won since.
March's friendlies were cancelled, while the Republic of Ireland beat them in Dublin, before a goalless draw against El Salvador: meaning the Swiss go into this one as the form side, having lost just once since September.
Switzerland should have far too much for Qatar, who will most likely be grateful to get the hardest team out of the way first: keeping the score down may well aid them if they want to earn a third-place bye to the knockouts.
- Score prediction: Qatar 0-3 Switzerland
