Xhaka and Itten embrace 'dream' of facing Messi as Switzerland target Argentina upset in Kansas City

Switzerland arrive at their 2026 World Cup quarter-final against reigning champions Argentina in Kansas City carrying an eight-match unbeaten run and, according to their own players, a genuine belief that an upset is possible.

The Swiss reached the last eight by beating Colombia on penalties in the round of 16, setting up a showdown with an Argentina side that recovered from two goals down to defeat Egypt 3-2. For captain Granit Xhaka, the scale of the occasion has become fuel rather than burden.

“When you’re this close, the hunger is even greater,” Xhaka said, as quoted by Nau.ch. “It’s a very good kind of pressure we have now — we want to keep going.”

The Bayer Leverkusen midfielder also took a moment to reflect on the broader privilege of competing in the same era as Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. “It must be a great privilege for us to be able to play in the Messi and Ronaldo era,” he added, before noting that a detailed tactical analysis of Argentina was still to come.

Strikers and midfielders across the squad echoed that mixture of excitement and professional focus. Cedric Itten was direct about what the match-up means to him personally: “It doesn’t get much better than being able to play against Messi. He’s in good form, and we definitely need to be ready for the next game. But you can also see that every match is close — we’re looking forward to Kansas.”

Remo Freuler, who has never previously faced Messi in his club or international career, described the fixture as something genuinely special while insisting Switzerland will not settle for merely reaching the quarter-finals. “We deserved to reach the quarter-finals against Argentina,” he said. “But one thing is clear: we won’t be satisfied with that. We’ll give it our all.”

Younger squad members are feeling the weight of the moment just as keenly. Fabian Rieder admitted the prospect of sharing a pitch with Messi at a World Cup was something he could not have imagined as a junior player. “It will certainly be another cool game in a cool stadium, even if the majority of the crowd will be Argentinians,” he said.

Not everyone in the Swiss camp is focused purely on the romance of the occasion. Forward Breel Embolo and winger Ruben Vargas both warned their team-mates that containing Argentina will require defensive sacrifice, pointing to the world champions’ comeback mentality — demonstrated vividly when they overturned a two-goal deficit against Egypt — as the primary threat Murat Yakin’s side must plan for.