6 days ago
This article is portion of nan Guardian’s 2026 World Cup Experts’ Network, a practice betwixt immoderate of nan champion media organisations from nan 48 countries who qualified. theguardian.com is moving previews from 3 countries each time successful nan run-up to nan tourney kicking disconnected connected 11 June.
The plan
This is nan sixth clip successful a statement Switzerland person qualified for nan World Cup and they will alert retired to nan US westbound seashore connected Tuesday pinch precocious expectations, mounting up guidelines successful San Diego. “We want to play nan champion World Cup seen from a Swiss team,” nan coach, Murat Yakin, told Blick. “The emotion that we could person reached nan last of nan past Euros [they mislaid connected penalties to England successful nan quarter-finals] gives america thing to dream about.”
Switzerland person ne'er sewage past nan quarter-finals astatine nan World Cup, past reaching that shape connected location ungraded successful 1954. Since then, their adventures person typically ended successful nan past 16, arsenic was nan lawsuit successful 2022 successful Doha erstwhile they mislaid 6-1 to Portugal.
Switzerland: Group B fixtures
Show13 June v Qatar, San Francisco (noon local, 8pm BST)
18 June v Bosnia and Herzegovina, Los Angeles (noon local, 8pm BST)
24 June v Canada, Vancouver (noon local, 8pm BST)
However, location are galore reasons why Swiss fans tin attack nan tourney pinch dream and anticipation. The squad were very comfortable successful qualifying, finishing apical of their group up of Kosovo, Slovenia and Sweden, winning 4 games and drafting two.
There is simply a bully operation successful nan squad betwixt nan elder statesmen – specified arsenic Granit Xhaka, Manuel Akanji and Ricardo Rodriguez – and a younger procreation represented by Dan Ndoye, Fabian Rieder and Johan Manzambi among others. Moreover, nan Nati person truthful acold avoided injuries pinch nan Burnley striker Zeki Amdouni seemingly winning his conflict to get backmost aft an anterior cruciate ligament injury.
Noah Okafor is backmost too, having been sidelined aft a mediocre Euro 2024, wherever he responded severely to not playing earlier launching a nationalist excavation astatine Yakin erstwhile near retired from consequent squads. The Leeds guardant has apologised to nan coach and nan remainder of nan squad and is successful nan shape of his life. “We’ve some done nan correct thing. His improvement has been very positive; he could beryllium a cardinal subordinate astatine nan World Cup,” Yakin said.
Yakin’s preferred strategy is simply a 4-2-3-1, though he has precocious been flirting pinch 3-4-3 and Denis Zakaria astatine correct wing-back. It was this statement that took them to nan past 8 astatine nan Euros.
The coach
Murat Yakin. His opinionated has ne'er been higher and nan defender Rodriguez is 1 of those impressed. “Murat is doing a really bully job,” he said. “Over nan years, he’s go moreover much unfastened and communicative pinch us. He talks to america a lot, asks for our opinions from clip to clip and listens to us. He’s really superb astatine that.”
Yakin’s assignment arsenic Vladimir Petkovic’s successor, successful August 2021, came arsenic a astonishment fixed he was successful complaint of second-tier FC Schaffhausen astatine nan clip and location person been sticky periods, specified arsenic nan nonaccomplishment to Portugal and anemic performances successful nan buildup to Euro 2024, erstwhile he was publically criticised by Xhaka. After nan affirmative tournament, however, he extended his statement to 2028.
Star player
The captain, Granit Xhaka, remains nan team’s astir important subordinate astatine nan property of 33. He is nan linchpin of Switzerland’s buildup play, dictating nan tempo and ensuring a equilibrium betwixt defence and attack. This will astir apt beryllium nan past World Cup for Switzerland’s grounds appearance-maker, but he could good proceed his world profession aft nan tournament. He has followed up 2 outstanding years astatine Bayer Leverkusen pinch an arsenic awesome 1 for Sunderland, nan Premier League newcomers who secured Europa League shot on nan past time of nan season. Xhaka, arsenic he says, is for illustration a bully reddish wine: nan older, nan better.
One to watch
Johan Manzambi. The Geneva-born midfielder’s awesome play astatine Freiburg has not gone unnoticed pinch Europe’s apical clubs monitoring nan all-rounder. Hardly a week goes by without a caller rumour surfacing astir wherever Switzerland’s biggest talent will play next. He could go nan astir costly Swiss transportation aft nan World Cup, beating nan €45m Arsenal paid Borussia Mönchengladbach for Xhaka successful 2016. His versatility helps arsenic he is capable to play arsenic a No 6, No 8, No 10 aliases moreover up front. For nan nationalist squad he is not yet a regular starter, but is often brought connected successful a wide position. Yakin has said Manzambi tin beryllium a “secret weapon” successful North America, adding: “His improvement is really impressive. When he was first called up to nan nationalist squad past summertime we realised consecutive distant nan unthinkable imaginable he has.”
Unsung hero
Remo Freuler. The Zurich autochthonal had to activity difficult to get to nan top, having erstwhile been told he was not bully capable for Grasshoppers, which led to a move to second-tier Winterthur. His move from Luzern to Serie A and Atalanta successful 2016 took galore by surprise, but he settled successful Italy and became progressively important for nan nationalist squad arsenic well. Having fought his measurement into nan starting lineup aft nan 2018 World Cup he is now indispensable and perfectly complements nan playmaker Xhaka successful midfield. The 34-year-old excels done his moving capacity, his spot successful one-on-one situations and his footballing intelligence – and moreover scores nan overseas important extremity from clip to time.
Probable starting XI
What to expect from fans astatine games?
Swiss supporters usually move retired successful droves for awesome tournaments and nan instrumentality marches astatine Euro 2024 successful Germany are still caller successful memory. Then, much than 10,000 turned nan cities reddish and white. That, sadly, will not hap this time. Only astir 500 person tickets for nan group games done nan Swiss FA and astir 2,000 for nan knockout stages. As was nan lawsuit 4 years agone successful Qatar, nan governmental business is stopping immoderate from making nan travel and it is compounded by nan precocious costs of flights, accommodation and travel. Their favourite opus is “Schwiizer Nati, olé olé” and nan fans person travel up pinch a chant for striker Breel Embolo to nan tune of The Lion Sleeps Tonight.
Relationship pinch nan US/Trump?
Do not expect immoderate subordinate to remark connected nan US president aliases nan governmental situation. The Swiss FA president, Peter Knäbel, said astatine nan extremity of 2025: “We will guarantee again this twelvemonth that nan squad tin and will attraction 100% connected nan sport. If an rumor straight affects our values arsenic an association, we will – arsenic we person done successful nan past – return a clear stand.” The US and Switzerland person been progressive successful tense waste and acquisition discussions successful caller months pinch Donald Trump hitting retired successful April. “Switzerland presents itself arsenic a ‘small and brilliant’ country,” he told CNBC. “They’re superb because they salary america almost nothing. Now they salary a small bit. They should salary overmuch more.”
Written by Christian Finkbeiner for Blick
