Baked in the Sun, Drama in the 95th: Qatar’s Epic Draw vs Switzerland at Levi’s – FIFA 2026

 #745

Today Saturday 13th June, Eshwar, Shravan, and I attended the Qatar vs Switzerland FIFA World Cup 2026 match at Levi’s Stadium (Bay Area Stadium they call, as FIFA wont allow non sponsors name) Santa Clara. What a mixed-bag experience it turned out to be!

The game itself was mediocre for long stretches. Switzerland dominated and should have been 4-0 up, but could only manage a 1-0 lead. Qatar, fighting as underdogs and down for nearly 90% of the match, showed incredible resilience and equalized dramatically in the 95th minute. That late goal turned the day memorable — a classic underdog story that left the crowd buzzing despite the patchy quality of play.

However, the off-field experience highlighted stark contrasts with the superbly organized 2022 Qatar World Cup, where we attended 6 matches in just 4 days. Levi’s Stadium is completely open-roofed, leaving us fully exposed to the blazing sun for over two hours — more direct exposure than I’ve had in the last 160 days combined. The hydration break called at the 22nd minute felt almost comical, underscoring how American organizers are still adapting to football’s global rhythms.

Logistics were equally testing. Public transport and stadium access/exit in Qatar were seamless thanks to the excellent Metro system. Here, exiting and getting home took a painful 100 minutes via Uber. Road closures created chaos, but our second Uber driver (After we cancelled the first ride after 20 min unable to move an inch from the parking lot) cleverly navigated back alleys to finally get us home.

Tickets were nearly four times more expensive than in Qatar, adding to the “only in America” feeling. While FIFA’s hosting decisions (and past controversies) invited their share of skepticism, the raw passion of the live World Cup atmosphere still made it worthwhile.

Overall, it was a memorable, if sun-baked and chaotic, day. Qatar’s fighting spirit stole the show and reminded us why we love this beautiful game. I watched Brazil and Morocco draw 1-1. It was also a pleasure to meet Lalitha’s cousin with his family who had driven down from LA for the game.

Regards

Karthik.

13th June 26

1900 Hrs 
Foster City CA. 

Raja and Family ( Lalitha's cousin- Drove down from LA for the match).