Argentina Face Switzerland: Every Battle in Their Fierce World Cup Rivalry Revealed

The modern international soccer schedule simply no longer accommodates cross-confederation matchups, leaving European and South American sides largely waiting until World Cups to clash.

The UEFA Nations League has effectively sounded the death knell for friendlies, turning high-profile encounters between Europe's top nations into rare occasions.

Switzerland may not be counted among Europe's elite, but the nation has nonetheless been a reliable and formidable presence in world soccer throughout the 21st century. Dependable on the biggest stages and often underestimated, the Swiss typically defeat the teams they're expected to while falling short against the very best.

On Saturday night in Kansas City, Switzerland looks to achieve its most meaningful World Cup result in recent memory as it faces defending champion Argentina. La Albiceleste have thrived amid turbulence this summer and have somehow kept alive their bid to become the first nation since Brazil in 1962 to successfully defend the World Cup.

Here's a look at how Argentina and Switzerland have matched up historically, ahead of Saturday's quarterfinal showdown.

The Last Time Argentina and Switzerland Faced Off

Argentina has continued its winning run at this World Cup, though Lionel Messi has clearly felt the absence of his longtime accomplice, Ángel Di Maria.

Di Maria was a pivotal figure in the nation's triumph in Qatar, even with Messi as the undisputed star, and he delivered a crucial moment for the Albiceleste the last time they faced Switzerland.

The two sides met in the round of 16 at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, with a dull affair ultimately settled by Di Maria's extra-time strike. Throughout the match, Messi was smothered by a sea of red shirts, as Alejandro Sabella's rather uninspiring finalists labored in Sao Paulo before Di Maria's late heroics.

Messi is the only remaining member of that Argentina squad on Lionel Scaloni's current roster, while Ricardo Rodríguez and Granit Xhaka both featured in Ottmar Hitzfeld's Switzerland starting lineup that day.

Argentina vs. Switzerland at the World Cup

That Argentine win in Sao Paulo was just one of two World Cup encounters between the two countries.

The first, at the 1966 World Cup in England, was also their very first meeting as nations.

Switzerland had already been eliminated when it faced Argentina at Hillsborough on Matchday 3 of the group stage, having been thrashed 5–0 by eventual runners-up West Germany and beaten 2–1 by Spain. Argentina needed to edge past La Roja for second place in the group, with the Germans dominant throughout, and secured their advancement through second-half goals from Luis Artime and Ermindo Onega.

Argentina was then knocked out by hosts England in a notorious quarterfinal, in which captain Antonio Rattín was controversially dismissed after 35 minutes before Sir Geoff Hurst netted the match's only goal late on.

La Albiceleste Dominate Historically

Saturday's quarterfinal will mark the eighth meeting between Argentina and Switzerland, with the Swiss still yet to record a single victory.

La Albiceleste have claimed five of those contests, while Switzerland managed a pair of draws in friendly matches in 1990 and 2007. They appeared on course for another positive result in 2012 when a young Xherdan Shaqiri equalized after Lionel Messi's opener, but Argentina's No. 10 had the final say, netting twice more to complete the first of his 11 international hat-tricks.

Argentina's most dominant win came in a 1980 friendly, during a period when Switzerland was enduring its longest World Cup absence. César Luis Menotti's world champions dismantled the Europeans in a 5–0 rout, with Diego Maradona among those on the scoresheet.

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Argentina vs. Switzerland: Complete Head-to-Head Record