Python Match Case Statement

Basic match-case Syntax

You start with match followed by the value you want to check, then list one or more case patterns. Python compares the value against each case in order and runs the first block that matches, similar to how elif chains work.

day = 3
match day:
    case 1:
        print("Monday")
    case 2:
        print("Tuesday")
    case 3:
        print("Wednesday")
    case _:
        print("Some other day")

The Wildcard _

The underscore _ is a wildcard pattern that matches anything. It acts like the default/else case and is usually placed last, since Python checks patterns in order and stops at the first match.

command = "help"
match command:
    case "start":
        print("Starting...")
    case "stop":
        print("Stopping...")
    case _:
        print("Unknown command")

Matching Multiple Values

You can combine several values in one case using the | (or) symbol, so a single block handles multiple possibilities without repeating code.

fruit = "mango"
match fruit:
    case "apple" | "mango" | "banana":
        print("Common fruit")
    case _:
        print("Exotic fruit")

Guard Conditions

A guard adds an extra if condition to a case, so the pattern only matches when that condition is also True. This makes match-case powerful for checking ranges or combined rules, not just exact values.

num = 15
match num:
    case n if n < 0:
        print("Negative")
    case n if n % 2 == 0:
        print("Positive even")
    case _:
        print("Positive odd")

Matching Structures

match-case can also destructure data structures like tuples and lists, pulling out values directly in the pattern — this is what makes it "structural" pattern matching rather than a plain switch statement.

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 _:
        print("Somewhere else")