The match Statement in Python

Lesson 12 Python 3.14 Runs in your browser Updated September 16, 2026

In short

The match statement compares one value against a series of case patterns and runs the block of the first pattern that fits. It arrived in Python 3.10 and is the closest thing Python has to the switch statement of other languages, with case _: as the default.

Key facts

match needs Python 3.10 or newer. On older versions it is a syntax error.
Only the first matching case runs. Python never falls through to the next case, so no case needs a break.
case _: matches anything, so it is the default and it goes last.
One case can list several values with |, and an if after the pattern adds a condition.

Does Python have a switch statement?

Not by that name, but since Python 3.10 the match statement does the same job. Write match and the value, then one case per pattern with an indented block. Python tries the cases from the top and runs the first one that fits.

Python

status = 404
match status:
    case 200:
        print("OK")
    case 404:
        print("Not found")
    case 500:
        print("Server error")
    case _:
        print("Unknown status")

Output

Not found

Before 3.10 the same job needed an if / elif chain or a dictionary lookup, which a later lesson shows, and both still work. match reads better once there are more than three or four alternatives.

What is case _ in Python?

The wildcard. An underscore pattern matches any value, so case _: is the default branch, and it has to be the last case because nothing after it could ever run.

How do I match multiple values in one case?

Separate them with |. The case matches when the value equals any one of them, which replaces a chain of or comparisons. Inside a case pattern, | means or. It is not the bitwise operator from the logical operators lesson.

Python

day = "sun"
match day:
    case "sat" | "sun":
        print("Weekend")
    case "mon" | "tue" | "wed" | "thu" | "fri":
        print("Weekday")
    case _:
        print("Not a day")

Output

Weekend

Can a match case have a condition?

Yes. Add if and a condition after any pattern, and the case matches only when the condition is also true. That if is called a guard, and it is how match handles ranges. To use the value inside the guard, write a new name such as t as the pattern. It matches any value and stores it in t.

Python

temperature = 32
match temperature:
    case t if t < 10:
        print("Cold")
    case t if t < 25:
        print("Mild")
    case t:
        print(f"Hot, {t} degrees")

Output

Hot, 32 degrees

The last case has no condition, so it catches everything else and keeps the value in t.

Does match fall through like a switch?

No. In C and JavaScript, a switch keeps running into the next case, called fall-through, until a break stops it. In Python at most one case runs, the first one that matches, and then the statement is over, so no case needs a break and there is none to forget. A second case with the same value is never reached.

Python

command = "start"
match command:
    case "start":
        print("Starting")
    case "start":
        print("Never printed, the first case already matched")
    case _:
        print("Unknown")
print("Only one case ran, no break needed")

Output

Starting
Only one case ran, no break needed

Can match unpack a tuple or list?

Yes, and that is where it beats if. A pattern can describe the shape of a tuple or list and pull the parts out into names in the same line.

Python

point = (0, 5)
match point:
    case (0, 0):
        print("Origin")
    case (0, y):
        print(f"On the y axis at {y}")
    case (x, 0):
        print(f"On the x axis at {x}")
    case (x, y):
        print(f"At {x}, {y}")

Output

On the y axis at 5

Dictionaries and class instances have patterns of their own too. Those patterns are easier to follow after the dictionaries and classes lessons later in the course.

Is match better than if and elif?

For one value against several exact alternatives, or for taking a value apart, yes. For a couple of conditions, or for conditions that compare different variables, if / elif is shorter and clearer. Like an elif chain, match tries its cases one at a time from the top, so the choice is about reading, not speed.

Common mistakes with match in Python

These four mistakes with match are one version problem, two pattern problems and one name mix-up.

SyntaxError: invalid syntax on the match line. The Python running the file is older than 3.10. Check with python --version, or python3 --version on macOS and Linux.
SyntaxError: name capture 'x' makes remaining patterns unreachable. A plain name with no guard matches everything, so it must be the last case, like _.
Expecting a case to compare with a variable. case RED: does not compare with a variable named RED. It captures the value into RED and replaces what was there. Compare in a guard instead. case c if c == RED: matches when the value equals RED.
Confusing it with re.match(). That is a function for regular expressions and has nothing to do with the statement.

Python

color = "red"
match color:
    case anything:
        print("first")
    case "red":
        print("red")

Output

  File "main.py", line 3
    case anything:
         ^^^^^^^^
SyntaxError: name capture 'anything' makes remaining patterns unreachable

Exercise

The program prints nothing for "sat", because only weekdays have a case. Add one case that matches both "sat" and "sun" and prints Weekend.

Python

day = "sat"
match day:
    case "mon" | "tue" | "wed" | "thu" | "fri":
        print("Weekday")

Output

Weekend

Show the solution

day = "sat"
match day:
    case "mon" | "tue" | "wed" | "thu" | "fri":
        print("Weekday")
    case "sat" | "sun":
        print("Weekend")

Quiz

This quiz has 5 questions. Pick an answer to see why it is right or wrong.

1What does this program print?
```
n = 2
match n:
    case 1 | 2 | 3:
        print("small")
    case _:
        print("other")
```
The | pattern matches any of the listed values, and only the first matching case runs.
2What does case _: do?
3Which Python version introduced match?
4Do you need break at the end of each case?
5What does this program print?
```
p = (3, 0)
match p:
    case (0, y):
        print("y axis")
    case (x, 0):
        print("x axis")
```
(0, y) needs a first element of 0, which fails. (x, 0) needs a second element of 0, which fits.

Frequently asked questions

Does Python have a switch statement?

Not by that name. Since version 3.10, the match statement does the same job, comparing a value against case patterns and running the first one that fits, with case _: as the default.

What is case _ in Python?

The wildcard pattern. It matches any value, so it works as the default branch and must be the last case.

Is match better than if and elif?

For one value against several exact alternatives, or for unpacking a tuple or list by shape, match reads better. For one or two conditions, or conditions on different variables, if and elif are simpler.

Is the match statement the same as re.match()?

No. re.match() is a function in the re module that tests a regular expression against the start of a string. The match statement compares a value against case patterns.

Which Python versions support the match statement?

Python 3.10 and every later version. On 3.9 or older the match line is a syntax error.

Does a match case need break?

No. Only the first matching case runs and the statement ends, so there is no fall-through to stop. Loops come later in the course, and inside one, a break in a case ends the whole loop.

Logical operators Installing Python

Learn

Key facts

Does Python have a switch statement?

What is case _ in Python?

How do I match multiple values in one case?

Can a match case have a condition?

Does match fall through like a switch?

Can match unpack a tuple or list?

Is match better than if and elif?

Common mistakes with match in Python

Exercise

Quiz

Frequently asked questions

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