Switzerland national football team – About, History, Jersey, Players, Records, Staff, and More
Switzerland national football team: The Swiss Football Association runs the Switzerland national football team, which plays football worldwide for Switzerland. Switzerland’s best showings at the FIFA World Cup were in 1934, 1938, and 1954, when they made it to the quarterfinals. In 1954, they hosted the World Cup. In the quarterfinals, they played Austria and lost 7–5. It is still the World Cup match with the most goals ever. Switzerland’s best finish at an official football competition was a silver medal at the 1924 Olympics, where they lost to Uruguay 3–0 in the final.
The (hi)story of the Switzerland football team
The first time the team went to the World Cup was in 1934. They beat the Netherlands 3–2 in the round of 16 and made it to the quarterfinals before being knocked out by Czechoslovakia. On July 22, 1946, Switzerland won the right to host the 1954 FIFA World Cup in Luxembourg City. At the World Cup, Switzerland came second in their group, behind England. They beat Italy and lost to England, but after beating Italy in a group play-off, they moved on to the quarterfinals.
In 1992, Switzerland put Roy Hodgson, an English manager, in charge of the national team. Hodgson led Switzerland to the 1994 FIFA World Cup. During qualifying, they only lost one game, even though they were in a group with Italy, Portugal, and Scotland, all of which were favorites.
Switzerland easily qualified for the finals of the UEFA Euro 1996, held in England. They won their qualifying group and only lost once, a 1-2 loss to Turkey.
Switzerland national football team from 2000 to present
Switzerland came out on top of a group that included Russia, the Republic of Ireland, Albania, and Georgia when qualifying for UEFA Euro 2004. The Swiss made it to the 2006 FIFA World Cup by beating Turkey in Istanbul by the “away goal rule.” This was Switzerland’s first World Cup since 1994. Switzerland and Austria together hosted the UEFA Euro 2008 tournament. In the first game, they lost 1-0 to the Czech Republic. In their second game, they lost 1-2 to Turkey.
Gelson Fernandes scored the only goal as the team beat eventual champion Spain 1-0 in their first game at the 2010 FIFA World Cup. However, they were still knocked out in the group stage. Switzerland didn’t make it to UEFA Euro 2012. It was the first time in ten years that they didn’t make it. It was because they finished third in their qualifying group. Switzerland was put in a group with France, Honduras, and Ecuador at the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil.
On January 23, 2018, Switzerland was chosen to play in the first UEFA Nations League. This is a tournament that all UEFA member countries compete in. They put Switzerland in League A, Group 2, with Belgium and Iceland. At Euro 2020, Switzerland came third in Group A, with Italy, Wales, and Turkey. However, as one of the best third-placed teams, they were able to move on to the next round.
Jerseys and Kits
The traditional home kit for the Switzerland national team is red shirts, white shorts, and red socks. The away kit is the opposite, with white shirts, red shorts, and white socks, but the shorts and socks can be switched if there is a slight color clash. Since its foundation in 1895, Switzerland has always had the same color code. This is both a tradition and a way to honor the national colors of the Swiss flag.
Coaching staff
| Position | Name |
| Head Coach | Murat Yakin |
| Assistant Coach | Vincent Cavin |
| Goalkeeping Coach | Patrick Foletti |
| Fitness Coach | Oliver Riedwyl |
| Team Doctor | Ludwig Scholzer |
| Physiotherapist | Marcel Müllenberger |
| Match Analyst | Tiziano Saccheli |
| Masseur | Wolfgang Frei |
| Nutritionist | Gregor Klotzmann |
| Team Chef | Arsène Baumann |
| Team Coordinator | Diego Benaglio |
Current squad
| No. | Position | Player | Date of birth (age) | Caps | Goals | Club |
| GOALKEEPERS | ||||||
| 1 | GK | Yann Sommer (3rd captain) | 17 December 1988 (age 33) | 74 | 0 | Borussia Mönchengladbach |
| 12 | GK | Jonas Omlin | 10 January 1994 (age 28) | 4 | 0 | Montpellier |
| 21 | GK | Yvon Mvogo | 6 June 1994 (age 28) | 4 | 0 | Lorient |
| GK | Gregor Kobel | 6 December 1997 (age 24) | 3 | 0 | Borussia Dortmund | |
| DEFENDERS | ||||||
| 2 | DF | Leonidas Stergiou | 3 March 2000 (age 22) | 1 | 0 | St. Gallen |
| 3 | DF | Silvan Widmer | 5 March 1993 (age 29) | 31 | 2 | Mainz 05 |
| 4 | DF | Nico Elvedi | 30 September 1996 (age 25) | 38 | 1 | Borussia Mönchengladbach |
| 5 | DF | Manuel Akanji | 19 July 1995 (age 27) | 41 | 0 | Borussia Dortmund |
| 13 | DF | Ricardo Rodriguez | 25 August 1992 (age 29) | 98 | 9 | Torino |
| 18 | DF | Eray Cömert | 4 February 1998 (age 24) | 9 | 0 | Valencia |
| 22 | DF | Fabian Schär | 20 December 1991 (age 30) | 71 | 8 | Newcastle United |
| DF | Jordan Lotomba | 29 September 1998 (age 23) | 7 | 1 | Nice | |
| DF | Kevin Mbabu | 19 April 1995 (age 27) | 22 | 0 | VfL Wolfsburg | |
| MIDFIELDERS | ||||||
| 6 | MF | Fabian Frei | 8 January 1989 (age 33) | 22 | 3 | Basel |
| 8 | MF | Remo Freuler (4th captain) | 15 April 1992 (age 30) | 46 | 4 | Atalanta |
| 10 | MF | Granit Xhaka (captain) | 27 September 1992 (age 29) | 104 | 12 | Arsenal |
| 11 | MF | Renato Steffen | 3 November 1991 (age 30) | 25 | 1 | VfL Wolfsburg |
| 14 | MF | Steven Zuber | 17 August 1991 (age 30) | 51 | 10 | AEK Athens |
| 15 | MF | Djibril Sow | 6 February 1997 (age 25) | 30 | 0 | Eintracht Frankfurt |
| 20 | MF | Michel Aebischer | 6 January 1997 (age 25) | 10 | 0 | Bologna |
| 23 | MF | Xherdan Shaqiri (vice-captain) | 10 October 1991 (age 30) | 106 | 26 | Chicago Fire |
| FORWARDS | ||||||
| 7 | FW | Breel Embolo | 14 February 1997 (age 25) | 56 | 9 | Monaco |
| 9 | FW | Haris Seferovic | 22 February 1992 (age 30) | 86 | 25 | Galatasaray |
| 16 | FW | Zeki Amdouni | 4 December 2000 (age 21) | 0 | 0 | Basel |
| 17 | FW | Noah Okafor | 24 May 2000 (age 22) | 8 | 2 | Red Bull Salzburg |
| 19 | FW | Mario Gavranović | 24 November 1989 (age 32) | 41 | 16 | Kayserispor |
| FW | Ruben Vargas | 5 August 1998 (age 23) | 24 | 4 | FC Augsburg |
Player records
Most capped players
| Rank | Player | Caps | Goals | Career |
| 1 | Heinz Hermann | 118 | 15 | 1978–1991 |
| 2 | Alain Geiger | 112 | 2 | 1980–1996 |
| 3 | Stephan Lichtsteiner | 108 | 8 | 2006–2019 |
| 4 | Xherdan Shaqiri | 106 | 26 | 2010–present |
| 5 | Granit Xhaka | 104 | 12 | 2011–present |
| 6 | Stéphane Chapuisat | 103 | 21 | 1989–2004 |
| 7 | Ricardo Rodriguez | 98 | 9 | 2011–present |
| 8 | Johann Vogel | 94 | 2 | 1995–2007 |
| 9 | Gökhan Inler | 89 | 7 | 2006–2015 |
| 10 | Hakan Yakin | 87 | 20 | 2000–2011 |
Top Goal Scorers
| Rank | Player | Goals | Caps | Ratio | Career |
| 1 | Alexander Frei | 42 | 84 | 0.5 | 2001–2011 |
| 2 | Kubilay Türkyilmaz | 34 | 64 | 0.53 | 1988–2001 |
| Max Abegglen | 68 | 0.5 | 1922–1937 | ||
| 4 | André Abegglen | 29 | 52 | 0.56 | 1927–1943 |
| 5 | Jacques Fatton | 28 | 53 | 0.53 | 1946–1955 |
| 6 | Adrian Knup | 26 | 49 | 0.53 | 1989–1996 |
| Xherdan Shaqiri | 106 | 0.25 | 2010– | ||
| 8 | Haris Seferovic | 25 | 86 | 0.28 | 2013– |
| 9 | Josef Hügi | 22 | 34 | 0.65 | 1951–1961 |
| Charles Antenen | 56 | 0.39 | 1948–1962 |