The plan
This is the sixth time in a row Switzerland have qualified for the World Cup and, on 2 June, they will fly out to the US west coast with high expectations, setting up base in San Diego. “We want to play the best World Cup ever seen from a Swiss team,” the national team coach, Murat Yakin, told Blick. “The feeling that we could have reached the final of the last Euros [they lost on penalties to England in the quarter-finals] gives us something to dream about.”

Switzerland’s best performance at the World Cup came on home soil in 1954 when they reached the quarter-finals. Since then their adventures have ended at the Last 16, as was the case in 2022 in Doha when they lost 6-1 to Portugal. 

However, there are many reasons why Swiss fans can approach the tournament with hope and anticipation. The team were very comfortable in qualifying, finishing top of Uefa Group B ahead of Kosovo, Slovenia and Sweden, winning four games and drawing two. 

There is a good mix in the squad between the elder statesmen – such as Granit Xhaka, Manuel Akanji and Ricardo Rodriguez – and a younger generation represented by Dan Ndoye, Fabian Rieder and Johan Manzambi among others. Moreover the Nati have so far avoided any injuries ahead of this World Cup with Burnley striker Zeki Amdouni seemingly winning his battle to get back following an ACL injury. 

Noah Okafor is back too, having been sidelined after a poor Euro 2024, where he did not react well to not playing, as well as a public dig at Yakin after being left out from subsequent squads. The Leeds United forward has apologised to the coach and the rest of the squad and is in the form of his life. “We’ve both done the right thing. His development has been very positive; he could be a key player at the World Cup,” Yakin says. 

Yakin’s preferred system is a 4-2-3-1, though he has recently been flirting with the 3-4-3 with Denis Zakaria in the right-wing-back position. It was with that formation that the Swiss got the last eight at the Euros. 

The Coach

Murat Yakin. The national team coach’s standing has never been higher – and the defender Ricardo Rodriguez is one of those who are impressed. “Murat is doing a really good job,” says Rodriguez. “Over the years, he’s become even more open and communicative with us players. He talks to us a lot, asks for our opinions from time to time and listens to us. He’s really brilliant at that.” 

Yakin’s appointment as Vladimir Petkovic’s successor in August 2021 came as a surprise given he was in charge of second-tier FC Schaffhausen at the time and there have been sticky periods, such as the 6-1 defeat to Portugal and weak performances in the build-up to Euro 2024, when he was publicly criticised by  captain Granit Xhaka. After the positive tournament, however, he extended his contract to 2028.

Star player

The captain, Granit Xhaka, remains the team’s most important player at the age of 33. He is the linchpin of Switzerland’s build-up play, dictating the tempo and ensuring a balance between defence and attack. This will likely be the last World Cup for the man who is Switzerland’s record appearance-maker, but he could well continue his international career after the tournament. He has followed up two outstanding years with Bayer Leverkusen with an equally impressive one in Sunderland, the Premier League newcomers who secured Europa League football on the last day of the season. Xhaka, as he himself says, is like a good red wine: the older, the better.

One to watch

Johan Manzambi. The Geneva-born midfielder’s impressive season at Freiburg has not gone unnoticed with Europe’s top clubs now monitoring the all-rounder. Hardly a week goes by without a new rumour surfacing about where Switzerland’s greatest talent will play next. He could become the most expensive Swiss transfer ever following the World Cup, beating the €45m fee Arsenal paid Borussia Mönchengladbach for Granit Xhaka in 2016. His versatility helps as he is able to play as a No 6, No 8, No 10 or even up front. For the national team he is not yet a regular starter but often brought on in a wide position. Yakin has already said Manzambi can be a “secret weapon” for the Swiss in North America, adding: “His development is really impressive. When he was first called up to the national team last summer we realised straight away the incredible potential he has.”

Unsung hero

Remo Freuler. The Zurich-native had to work hard to get to the top, having once been told he wasn’t good enough for Grasshoppers, which led to a move to second-tier Winterthur. Four years later his move from Lucerne to Serie A and Atalanta took many by surprise, but he settled in Italy and became increasingly important for the national team as well. Having fought his way into the starting line-up after the 2018 World Cup he is now indispensable and the perfect complement to playmaker Granit Xhaka in midfield. The 34-year-old excels through his running capacity, his strength in one-on-one situations and his footballing intelligence – and even scored the odd important goal from time to time.  

Probable starting XI

(4–2–3–1): Kobel – Widmer, Elvedi, Akanji, Rodriguez – Xhaka, Freuler – Vargas, Rieder, Ndoye – Embolo. 

What to expect from fans at games?

Swiss supporters usually turn out in droves for major tournaments and the fan marches at Euro 2024 in Germany are still fresh in memory. Then, more than 10,000 of them turned the cities red and white. That, sadly, won’t happen in North America. Only around 500 people have got tickets for the group games through

the Swiss FA and around 2,000 for the knockout stages. As was the case four years ago in Qatar, the political situation is stopping some from making the trip, and it is compounded by the high costs of flights, accommodation and travel within North America. Their favourite song is “Schwiizer Nati, olé olé” and the fans have come up with their own chant for striker Breel Embolo to the tune of The Lion Sleeps Tonight. 

This article is part of JoySports' collaboration with The Guardian. The cooperation enables readers to access team news, previews, and more from all 48 teams that qualified for the FIFA World Cup 2026.