Wirtz’s World Cup Prelude: Friendly Fireworks Spark 2026 Ambitions

Germany secured a victory in Switzerland, propelled by Liverpool’s creative midfielder Florian Wirtz, who contributed two goals and two assists. Both nations continued their preparations for the upcoming 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Nottingham Forest’s wide player Dan Ndoye received a pass from Sunderland’s creator Granit Xhaka, driving into the left side of the penalty area to net Switzerland’s opening goal in the 17th minute. However, Germany drew level nine minutes later when Bayern Munich’s defender Jonathan Tah headed home a cross from Wirtz.

Breel Embolo restored Switzerland’s advantage by heading in Silvan Widmer’s delivery with four minutes left in the first half. Germany then equalized once more, as Serge Gnabry executed a skillful finish inside the box following Wirtz’s chipped pass.

After Wirtz put Germany ahead with a long-range curling shot in the 61st minute, Joel Monteiro replicated the feat for the home side with 11 minutes remaining. Nevertheless, Wirtz had the decisive moment, scoring another magnificent strike in the 85th minute, assisted by Pascal Gross.

Germany’s next competitive outing is at home against Ghana on Monday (19:45 BST). Switzerland will journey to face Norway a day later (17:00).

Swiss Squad Against Germany

Switzerland starting XI: Gregor Kobel; Silvan Widmer, Nico Elvedi, Manuel Akanji, Ricardo Rodriguez; Simon Sohm, Fabian Rieder, Granit Xhaka; Dan Ndoye, Breel Embolo, Ruben Vargas

Switzerland substitutes: Michel Aebischer, Aurele Amenda, Eray Comert, Luca Jaquez, Ardon Jashari, Marvin Keller, Johan Manzambi, Joel Monteiro, Miro Muheim, Yvon Mvogo, Noah Okafor, Alvyn Sanches, Vincent Sierro, Djibril Sow, Denis Zakaria

German Lineup Facing Switzerland

Germany starting XI: Oliver Baumann; Joshua Kimmich, Nico Schlotterbeck, Jonathan Tah, David Raum; Angelo Stiller, Leon Goretzka; Leroy Sane, Florian Wirtz, Serge Gnabry; Kai Havertz.

Germany substitutes: Waldemar Anton, Nathaniel Brown, Finn Dahmen, Chris Fuhrich, Pascal Gross, Lennart Karl, Alexander Nubel, Antonio Rudiger, Kevin Schade, Anton Stach, Malick Thiaw, Deniz Undav, Josha Vagnoman, Nick Woltemade

Statistics: Switzerland vs Germany

• Germany had not secured a win in their last four encounters with Switzerland, a streak dating back to a 4-0 friendly triumph in 2008.
• Die Mannschaft had maintained a clean sheet in their preceding four fixtures, clinching victory in those games with an overall score of 13-0.
• Switzerland had remained undefeated since experiencing a Nations League defeat against European champions Spain in November 2024, and their home unbeaten run also dated back to a loss against the same adversaries two months prior.
• The team has found the net in 12 out of their most recent 13 matches.

FIFA World Cup 2026: Opponents for Switzerland and Germany

Below are the preliminary planned World Cup matches for both squads. Switzerland is placed in Group B, while Germany is in Group E.