In this paper, the formation control problem is investigated for discrete-time multi-agent systems with unknown nonlinear dynamics by means of the iterative learning approach. For networks with switching topology, a distributed iterative learning scheme is developed using the local formation error data with anticipation in time, and a sufficient condition is derived to guarantee that the desired formation can be preserved during the whole finite-time motion or operation process, even in the presence of initial formation errors. Simulation results illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed method.