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Switzerland national football team facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts
This page is about the men's team. For the women's team, see Switzerland women's national football team.
Quick facts for kids
Switzerland
Shirt badge/Association crest
Nickname(s) A-Team
Nati (National Team)
Rossocrociati (Red Crosses)
Association Swiss Football Association
Confederation UEFA (Europe)
Head coach Murat Yakin
Captain Granit Xhaka
Most caps Granit Xhaka (135)
Top scorer Alexander Frei (42)
Home stadium Various
FIFA code SUI
First colours
Second colours
FIFA ranking
Current 8 Steady (7 February 2019)
Highest 3 (August 1993)
Lowest 83 (December 1998)
Elo ranking
Current 12 Increase 1 (3 March 2019)
Highest 8 (June 2018)
Lowest 62 (October 1979)
First international
 France 1–0 Switzerland 
(Paris, France; 12 February 1905)
Biggest win
 Switzerland 9–0 Lithuania 
(Paris, France; 25 May 1924)
Biggest defeat
 Switzerland 0–9 England 
(Basel, Switzerland; 20 May 1909)
 Hungary 9–0 Switzerland 
(Budapest, Hungary; 29 October 1911)
World Cup
Appearances 12 (first in 1934)
Best result Quarter-finals (1934, 1938, 1954)
European Championship
Appearances 6 (first in 1996)
Best result Quarter-finals (2020, 2024)
Nations League Finals
Appearances 1 (first in 2019)
Best result Fourth place (2019)
Medal record
Olympic Games
Silver 1924 Paris Team

The Switzerland national football team (German: Schweizer Fussballnationalmannschaft, Italian: Nazionale di calcio della Svizzera, French: Équipe nationale suisse de football, Romansh: Squadra naziunala da ballape da la Svizra) represents Switzerland in men's international football. The national team is controlled by the Swiss Football Association.

Switzerland's best performances at the FIFA World Cup have been three quarter-finals appearances, in 1934, 1938 and 1954. They hosted the competitions in 1954, where they played against Austria in the quarter-finals match, losing 7–5, which still stands as the highest scoring World Cup match ever. At the 2006 FIFA World Cup, Switzerland set a FIFA World Cup record by being eliminated from the tournament despite not conceding a single goal, being eliminated by Ukraine after penalties in the round of sixteen. They did not concede a goal until a match against Chile at the 2010 FIFA World Cup, conceding in the 75th minute, setting a World Cup tournament record for consecutive minutes without conceding a goal.

Switzerland and Austria were the co-hosts of UEFA Euro 2008, where the Swiss made their third appearance in the competitions, but failed for a third time to progress from the group stage. However, since then, the Swiss made it to the round of 16 during Euro 2016, and achieved a record-best quarter-finals showing at Euro 2020 after eliminating world champions France.

Overall, Switzerland's best ever result at an official football competition was the silver medal they earned in 1924, after losing to Uruguay 3–0 in the finals of the 1924 Olympic Games.

History

1924–1966: early years, World Cup host nation

1924-URU-SUI 1924-FIN-JO
The Uruguay v. Switzerland line-up in the Gold medal match at the 1924 Summer Olympics, held in Paris

At the 1924 Paris Olympic Games, Switzerland finished with a silver medal after losing to Uruguay in the final, losing 3–0. The team's debut appearance at the World Cup was in 1934, where they reached the quarter-finals after beating the Netherlands 3–2 in the round of sixteen before getting knocked out by Czechoslovakia. Switzerland once again reached the quarter-finals in 1938, after beating Germany in the round of sixteen, winning 4–2 after a replay but were knocked out by Hungary, losing 2–0. At the 1950 World Cup, Switzerland were drawn in a group with Brazil, Yugoslavia and Mexico, where they lost 4–0 to Yugoslavia in the opening match, drew 2–2 with Brazil in their second match and beating Mexico 2–1 in their final group mach, and finished third in their group. On 22 July 1946, Switzerland was awarded the right to host the 1954 World Cup unopposed, in Luxembourg City. At the World Cup, Switzerland finished second in their group behind England; beating Italy and losing to England, but qualified for the quarter-finals after beating Italy in a group play-off. They were knocked out of the tournament after losing 7–5 to Austria. At the 1962 World Cup, Switzerland finished bottom of the group, losing all three games, losing 3–1 to Chile, 2–1 to West Germany and 3–0 to Italy. A similar result occurred at the 1966 World Cup, where Switzerland again finished at the bottom of their group losing all three of their matches, 5–0 to West Germany, 2–1 to Spain and 2–0 to Argentina.

1992–1996: the Roy Hodgson era

In 1992, Switzerland appointed English manager Roy Hodgson as head coach of the national team; at the time of his appointment, the Swiss had not qualified for any major tournament since 1966. Under his guidance, Switzerland rose to 3rd in the FIFA World Ranking in August 1993, which still remains their highest FIFA ranking to this day. Hodgson led Switzerland to the 1994 FIFA World Cup, losing just one game during qualifying, in a group that included Italy, Portugal, and Scotland. The Swiss won their home tie with Italy, and in the away game, took a 2–0 lead before being pegged back to a 2–2 draw, and also took four points from Scotland, winning 3–1 at home and drawing 1–1 away. Against the Portuguese, Switzerland drew 1–1 at home and lost 1–0 in the away fixture in Porto, their only defeat of the qualifying campaign. Their opening match against hosts United States, on 18 June 1994, was played indoors at the Pontiac Silverdome in Detroit, and the two teams drew 1–1 in the opening match of the World Cup. In the next match, they won 4–1 over Romania, and in their final game against Colombia, the Swiss lost 2–0. Nevertheless, Switzerland still qualified from the group, but were knocked out by Spain, losing 3–0.

2000–2008: the Köbi Kuhn era

At UEFA Euro 1996, Switzerland once again easily qualified for the tournament hosted in England, as they topped their qualifying group, losing just once, which was a 1–2 defeat to Turkey. They were drawn in Group A, but their tournament was disappointing overall; as they finished bottom of the group. Their opening match was against hosts England, and the two sides drew 1–1. In their second match, they lost 2–0 to the Netherlands, and in their final group game, lost 1–0 to Scotland. Switzerland failed to qualify for the 1998 FIFA World Cup, hosted in France, as they finished fourth in their qualifying group, winning three games; 3–2 against Finland, 1–0 against Hungary and 5–0 against Azerbaijan, drawing one game against Hungary (1–1), and losing three games; 1–0 against Azerbaijan and losing both games against Norway, losing 1–0 at home and 5–0 away.

In qualifying for UEFA Euro 2004, Switzerland finished top of a group that featured Russia, the Republic of Ireland, Albania and Georgia. The Swiss finished with 21 points and qualified for the finals in Portugal, where they were drawn in Group B with defending champions France, England and Croatia. They began the tournament with a 0–0 draw with Croatia before succumbing to a 3–0 defeat to England in the next match. They lost their final match against France; losing 3–1 and finishing bottom of the group. Their only goal of the entire tournament was scored by Johan Vonlanthen, who became the youngest ever goalscorer at the Euros when he scored the equalizing goal against France; surpassing the previous record set only four days earlier by Wayne Rooney by three months.

The Swiss managed to qualify for the 2006 FIFA World Cup, overcoming Turkey by the away goals rule in Istanbul, the country's first World Cup since 1994. In the tournament, Switzerland was drawn in Group G with former world champions France, 2002 World Cup's fourth-place finisher South Korea and debutant Togo. In their first encounter, Switzerland bravely held the mighty France and Zinedine Zidane 0–0, before overcoming the Togolese 2–0 in the second match, tied with the South Koreans four points, however the Swiss were inferior to the Koreans by number of goals scored, meaning that the last game a must-win. The Swiss then managed to beat South Korea 2–0 in the final match, occupying first place in their group while knocking the Asians out of the tournament. In the round of sixteen, Switzerland faced Ukraine, but lost on penalty shootout in a match that has been criticized as the worst game in World Cup history. Yet, Switzerland was the only team to be eliminated without conceding a single goal.

Switzerland, along with Austria, were chosen as co-hosts of UEFA Euro 2008. The Swiss were drawn in Group A with Portugal, Turkey and the Czech Republic. Their opening match was a 1–0 loss to the Czech Republic, followed by a 1–2 defeat to Turkey. Their third match was against Portugal, with Switzerland winning 2–0 to ensure that Portugal would top their group with a defeat.

2008–2014: the Ottmar Hitzfeld era

In their first match at the 2010 FIFA World Cup, the team defeated eventual champions Spain 1–0 with a goal by Gelson Fernandes, but they were still eliminated in the group stage. In the second match, a goal scored by Mark González in the 75th minute of the game against Chile ended a 559-minute streak without conceding a goal in World Cup matches, beating the record previously held by Italy by nine minutes. Switzerland did not advance further than the group after a 0–0 draw with Honduras in the third and final group match.

Swiss national football team - Swiss vs. Argentina, 29th February 2012
The Switzerland national team line-up before a friendly match against Argentina, 29 February 2012. Switzerland lost 1–3.

Switzerland did not qualify for UEFA Euro 2012; missing out on the tournament for the first time in a decade, as they finished third in the qualifying group, a group featuring England, Montenegro, Wales and Bulgaria. Switzerland's initial start in qualifying was overall poor; losing 1–3 to England in the first game played, in which Xherdan Shaqiri scored his first goal for the national team, followed by a 1–0 defeat to Montenegro. Switzerland then recorded a 4–1 win over Wales before consecutive draws against Bulgaria (0–0) and England (2–2). Switzerland's hopes of qualifying were restored with a 3–1 win over Bulgaria, with a hat-trick from Xherdan Shaqiri. However, following a 2–0 loss to Wales (in which Reto Ziegler earned a red card) and Montenegro's surprising last-minute equalizer against England in a 2–2 draw, Switzerland's hopes of qualifying were mathematically made impossible. In the final game, Switzerland earned redemption against Montenegro as they came out with a 2–0 win. Switzerland's top goalscorer during the qualifying period was Xherdan Shaqiri, with 4 goals.

At the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil, Switzerland were drawn to play France, Honduras and Ecuador in the group stage. They advanced to the round of sixteen with a 3–0 win over Honduras, with a hat-trick from Xherdan Shaqiri. In the knockout match against Argentina, they lost 1–0, conceding to Ángel Di María in the 118th minute.

2016–2021: the Vladimir Petković era

At Euro 2016, Switzerland were selected to play in Group A of the tournament; alongside hosts France, Albania and Romania. In the first game, Switzerland won 1–0 over Albania, with the only goal being scored by Fabian Schär in the fifth minute of the game. The next match was a 1–1 draw with Romania, with Switzerland initially conceding from a penalty but equalizing in the second half following a goal from Admir Mehmedi. The final group game was against France, drawing 0–0. However, the game spread notoriety for several Swiss players' jerseys being ripped during challenges with the French players, and also for the ball bursting during a challenge between Antoine Griezmann and Valon Behrami when they both converged on the ball, with the game also attracting attention for its poor surface, which was criticised by both coaches and players of the two teams; after the game, Switzerland's kit manufacturer had blamed "faulty material" for the incidents regarding the jerseys being ripped. Switzerland, due to the draw, finished second in the group to set up a tie against Poland in the round of sixteen; initially the Swiss conceded but managed to find a late equalizer from Xherdan Shaqiri, who scored a bicycle-kick to send the game into extra-time, but the Swiss were knocked out as Granit Xhaka had missed the second penalty during the penalty shootout, as all other players managed to convert their penalties, with Poland winning 5–4 on penalties to go through and knock out the Swiss. In qualifying for the 2018 FIFA World Cup, Switzerland were drawn with Portugal, Hungary, Faroe Islands, Latvia and Andorra. The Swiss began their qualifying group with a shock 2–0 win over European champions Portugal, who had won the tournament less than two months prior to playing with them on 6 September. Afterwards, they beat Hungary 2–3, Andorra 2–1, Faroe Islands 2–0, Latvia 1–0 in the first five games, leading the group on maximum points. In the reverse fixtures, they beat Faroe Islands 2–0, Andorra 3–0, Latvia 3–0 and Hungary 5–2, before facing Portugal in the final group game, where they lost 2–0, meaning they would have to play in the play-offs; where they were ranked as the best second-placed team, and were drawn to play Northern Ireland. In the first leg, played on 9 November, they won 1–0 through a controversial penalty scored by Ricardo Rodríguez, and three days later played in the second leg, drawing 0–0 and advancing to the World Cup finals in Russia with a 1–0 aggregate win. Before the World Cup, Switzerland were ranked 6th in the world ranking, even ranking higher than eventual World Cup winners France.

Switzerland national football team World Cup 2018
The Switzerland national team line-up before the game against Sweden, on 3 July 2018, in Saint Petersburg

At the World Cup, Switzerland were drawn to play Brazil, Serbia and Costa Rica in Group E. They began their campaign with a 1–1 draw with Brazil, before beating Serbia 2–1 through a late winning goal from Xherdan Shaqiri. The game with Serbia sparked controversy for the celebrations performed by goalscorers Xherdan Shaqiri and Granit Xhaka (both ethnic Albanians), along with Stephan Lichtsteiner as the trio performed a celebration where they crossed their hands to depict a double-headed eagle, the official emblem of Albania, considered by many as an Albanian nationalist symbol, however, they were not banned by FIFA for this. Their final group game was with Costa Rica; which they drew 2–2, with Blerim Džemaili and Josip Drmić scoring; thus finishing second in the group. They were drawn to play Sweden in the round of sixteen, a fixture they lost 1–0, getting knocked out of the tournament.

On 23 January 2018, Switzerland were selected to play in the inaugural edition of the UEFA Nations League, a tournament contested by all UEFA member's national teams, being drawn to play in League A, in Group 2, against Belgium and Iceland.

At Euro 2020, postponed to 2021 due to COVID-19, Switzerland finished third in Group A which contained Italy, Wales and Turkey; however, they managed to qualify to the knockout stage as one of the best third-placed teams. In the round of 16, they defeated World Cup champions France on penalties, after finishing 3–3 and overcoming a 1–3 second half deficit, to have their first knockout phase win in a major tournament since the 1938 World Cup. In the subsequent quarter-final game against Spain, they once again took the game to penalties, after trailing 1–0. However, after converting only one of their four penalties, they exited the tournament at this stage.

2021–present: the Murat Yakin era

On 9 August 2021, Yakin became the manager of the Swiss national team. During the 2022 World Cup qualification, Switzerland finished in the first place ahead of Italy in Group C, which granted them a spot in the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. During the World Cup, Switzerland finished second in Group G to qualify the round of 16, where they lost 6–1 to Portugal. In 2023, Switzerland played against Romania, Israel, Belarus, Kosovo, and Andorra to qualify for Euro 2024. The Swiss finished second behind Romania.

The Euro 2024 tournament was a major success for Switzerland, as they finished second in their group with 5 points, moving onto the Round of 16. During the Round of 16, Switzerland caused a major upset by defeating defending champions Italy and reaching the Quarter-Finals for the second time in their history.

Team image

Kit

The Switzerland national team's traditional home kit is red shirts, white shorts and red socks, with the away kit being reverse with white shirts, red shorts and white socks, although the colours of the shorts and socks are interchangeable if there is a minor clash. Switzerland, since being established in 1895, have always had the same colour code, as tradition and homage to the national colours which are derived from the Swiss flag. The current kit manufacturer is Puma, who have made their kits since 1998.

Kit sponsorship

Supplier Period
France Le Coq Sportif 1970–1975
West Germany Adidas 1976–1989
Austria Blacky 1990–1992
Italy Lotto 1993–1997
Germany Puma 1998–present

Results and fixtures

Main article: Switzerland national football team results
Further information: 2023–24 in Swiss football and 2024–25 in Swiss football

The following is a list of match results in the last 12 months, as well as any future matches that have been scheduled.

      Win       Draw       Loss       Fixture

2024

Coaching staff

Position Name
Head coach Switzerland Murat Yakin
Assistant coach Switzerland Giorgio Contini
Goalkeeping coach Switzerland Patrick Foletti
Fitness coach Switzerland Oliver Riedwyl
Doctor Switzerland Ludwig Scholzer
Physiotherapist Switzerland Marcel Müllenberger
Match analyst Switzerland Kevin Ehmes
Masseur Switzerland Wolfgang Frei
Nutritionist Switzerland Antonio Molina
Chef Switzerland Francesco Baraldo Sano
Team coordinator Switzerland Diego Benaglio

Coaching history

Players

Current squad

The following players were called up to the squad for the 2024–25 UEFA Nations League matches on 15 and 18 November 2024 against Serbia and Spain, respectively. On 11 November, Manuel Akanji, Pascal Loretz, Dan Ndoye, and Denis Zakaria withdrew from the squad due to injury, so Ulisses Garcia and David von Ballmoos were called up in their absence. On 16 November, Cédric Zesiger was called up to replace the injured Aurèle Amenda, ill Ardon Jashari, and suspended Breel Embolo.

Caps and goals updated as of 18 November 2024, after the match against  Spain.
No. Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club
1 1GK Gregor Kobel (1997-12-06) 6 December 1997 (age 27) 10 0 Germany Borussia Dortmund
12 1GK Yvon Mvogo (1994-06-06) 6 June 1994 (age 30) 10 0 France Lorient
21 1GK David von Ballmoos (1994-12-30) 30 December 1994 (age 29) 0 0 Switzerland Young Boys
2 2DF Kevin Mbabu (1995-04-19) 19 April 1995 (age 29) 25 0 Denmark Midtjylland
3 2DF Albian Hajdari (2003-05-18) 18 May 2003 (age 21) 0 0 Switzerland Lugano
6 2DF Ulisses Garcia (1996-01-11) 11 January 1996 (age 28) 10 0 France Marseille
13 2DF Ricardo Rodriguez (1992-08-25) 25 August 1992 (age 32) 125 9 Spain Real Betis
18 2DF Eray Cömert (1998-02-04) 4 February 1998 (age 26) 17 0 Spain Valladolid
20 2DF Cédric Zesiger (1998-06-24) 24 June 1998 (age 26) 4 0 Germany VfL Wolfsburg
4 3MF Miro Muheim (1998-03-24) 24 March 1998 (age 26) 1 0 Germany Hamburger SV
7 3MF Simon Sohm (2001-04-11) 11 April 2001 (age 23) 2 0 Italy Parma
8 3MF Remo Freuler (1992-04-15) 15 April 1992 (age 32) 78 10 Italy Bologna
10 3MF Granit Xhaka (captain) (1992-09-27) 27 September 1992 (age 32) 135 14 Germany Bayer Leverkusen
11 3MF Dereck Kutesa (1997-12-06) 6 December 1997 (age 27) 3 0 Switzerland Servette
15 3MF Filip Ugrinić (1999-01-05) 5 January 1999 (age 25) 4 0 Switzerland Young Boys
16 3MF Vincent Sierro (1995-10-08) 8 October 1995 (age 29) 10 0 France Toulouse
17 3MF Edimilson Fernandes (1996-04-15) 15 April 1996 (age 28) 34 2 France Brest
22 3MF Fabian Rieder (2002-02-16) 16 February 2002 (age 22) 16 0 Germany VfB Stuttgart
9 4FW Noah Okafor (2000-05-24) 24 May 2000 (age 24) 24 2 Italy Milan
14 4FW Andi Zeqiri (1999-06-22) 22 June 1999 (age 25) 15 1 Belgium Standard Liège
19 4FW Joël Monteiro (1999-08-05) 5 August 1999 (age 25) 4 1 Switzerland Young Boys
23 4FW Zeki Amdouni (2000-12-04) 4 December 2000 (age 24) 25 10 Portugal Benfica

Recent call-ups

The following active players have also been called up in the last twelve months.


Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club Latest call-up
GK Pascal Loretz (2003-06-01) 1 June 2003 (age 21) 0 0 Switzerland Luzern v.  Serbia, 15 November 2024 INJ
GK Philipp Köhn (1998-04-02) 2 April 1998 (age 26) 0 0 France Monaco v.  Denmark, 15 October 2024
GK Jonas Omlin (1994-01-10) 10 January 1994 (age 30) 4 0 Germany Borussia Mönchengladbach v.  Spain, 8 September 2024
GK Yann Sommer (1988-12-17) 17 December 1988 (age 36) 94 0 Italy Internazionale UEFA Euro 2024 RET
GK Marvin Keller (2002-07-03) 3 July 2002 (age 22) 0 0 Switzerland Young Boys UEFA Euro 2024 PRE
DF Aurèle Amenda (2003-07-31) 31 July 2003 (age 21) 1 0 Germany Eintracht Frankfurt v.  Spain, 18 November 2024 INJ
DF Manuel Akanji (vice-captain) (1995-07-19) 19 July 1995 (age 29) 69 3 England Manchester City v.  Serbia, 15 November 2024 INJ
DF Nico Elvedi (1996-09-30) 30 September 1996 (age 28) 56 2 Germany Borussia Mönchengladbach v.  Denmark, 15 October 2024
DF Silvan Widmer (1993-03-05) 5 March 1993 (age 31) 49 4 Germany Mainz 05 v.  Denmark, 15 October 2024
DF Bećir Omeragić (2002-01-20) 20 January 2002 (age 22) 7 0 France Montpellier v.  Serbia, 12 October 2024 INJ
DF Gregory Wüthrich (1994-12-04) 4 December 1994 (age 30) 2 0 Austria Sturm Graz v.  Spain, 8 September 2024
DF Dominik Schmid (1998-03-10) 10 March 1998 (age 26) 0 0 Switzerland Basel v.  Denmark, 5 September 2024 INJ
DF Fabian Schär (1991-12-20) 20 December 1991 (age 33) 86 8 England Newcastle United UEFA Euro 2024 RET
DF Leonidas Stergiou (2002-03-03) 3 March 2002 (age 22) 6 0 Germany VfB Stuttgart UEFA Euro 2024
DF Bryan Okoh (2003-05-16) 16 May 2003 (age 21) 0 0 Austria Red Bull Salzburg UEFA Euro 2024 PRE
MF Ardon Jashari (2002-07-30) 30 July 2002 (age 22) 2 0 Belgium Club Brugge v.  Spain, 18 November 2024 INJ
MF Denis Zakaria (1996-11-20) 20 November 1996 (age 28) 57 3 France Monaco v.  Serbia, 15 November 2024 INJ
MF Michel Aebischer (1997-01-06) 6 January 1997 (age 27) 29 1 Italy Bologna v.  Denmark, 15 October 2024
MF Christian Witzig (2001-01-09) 9 January 2001 (age 23) 1 0 Switzerland St. Gallen v.  Denmark, 15 October 2024
MF Uran Bislimi (1999-09-25) 25 September 1999 (age 25) 2 0 Switzerland Lugano v.  Spain, 8 September 2024
MF Xherdan Shaqiri (1991-10-10) 10 October 1991 (age 33) 125 32 Switzerland Basel UEFA Euro 2024 RET
MF Steven Zuber (1991-08-17) 17 August 1991 (age 33) 56 11 Greece AEK Athens UEFA Euro 2024
FW Breel Embolo (1997-02-14) 14 February 1997 (age 27) 73 15 France Monaco v.  Spain, 18 November 2024 SUS
FW Dan Ndoye (2000-10-25) 25 October 2000 (age 24) 18 1 Italy Bologna v.  Serbia, 15 November 2024 INJ
FW Rubén Vargas (1998-08-05) 5 August 1998 (age 26) 50 8 Germany FC Augsburg v.  Spain, 8 September 2024
FW Renato Steffen (1991-11-03) 3 November 1991 (age 33) 41 4 Switzerland Lugano v.  Spain, 8 September 2024
FW Kwadwo Duah (1997-02-24) 24 February 1997 (age 27) 6 1 Bulgaria Ludogorets Razgrad v.  Spain, 8 September 2024
Notes
  • COV = Player withdrew from the squad due to testing positive for COVID-19.
  • INJ = Player withdrew from the squad due to an injury or illness.
  • PRE = Preliminary squad.
  • RET = Retired from international football.
  • SUS = Serving suspension.

Individual statistics

Players in bold are still active with Switzerland.

Most appearances

SWE-SWI (18) (cropped)
Granit Xhaka is Switzerland's most-capped player, with 135 appearances.
Rank Player Caps Goals Career
1 Granit Xhaka 135 14 2011–present
2 Xherdan Shaqiri 125 32 2010–2024
Ricardo Rodriguez 125 9 2011–present
4 Heinz Hermann 118 15 1978–1991
5 Alain Geiger 112 2 1980–1996
6 Stephan Lichtsteiner 108 8 2006–2019
7 Stéphane Chapuisat 103 21 1989–2004
8 Yann Sommer 94 0 2012–2024
Johann Vogel 94 2 1995–2007
10 Haris Seferovic 93 25 2013–present

Top goalscorers

Alex-frei-2011
Alexander Frei is Switzerland's top scorer with 42 goals.
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 34 68 0.5 1922–1937
4 Xherdan Shaqiri 32 125 0.26 2010–2024
5 André Abegglen 29 52 0.56 1927–1943
6 Jacques Fatton 28 53 0.53 1946–1955
7 Adrian Knup 26 49 0.53 1989–1996
8 Haris Seferovic 25 93 0.27 2013–present
9 Josef Hügi 22 34 0.65 1951–1961
Charles Antenen 22 56 0.39 1948–1962

Competitive record

The best result Switzerland have achieved thus far is the quarter-finals of the World Cup on three occasions, in 1934, 1938 and 1954, while they also reached the same stage at Euro 2020 and 2024. They earned a silver medal at the 1924 Olympic Games, held in Paris, where they lost 3–0 to Uruguay in the final.

FIFA World Cup

Main article: Switzerland at the FIFA World Cup
FIFA World Cup record Qualification record
Year Round Position Pld W D L GF GA Squad Pld W D L GF GA
Uruguay 1930 Did not enter Declined invitation
Italy 1934 Quarter-finals 7th 2 1 0 1 5 5 Squad 2 0 2 0 4 4
France 1938 7th 3 1 1 1 5 5 Squad 1 1 0 0 2 1
Brazil 1950 Group stage 6th 3 1 1 1 4 6 Squad 2 2 0 0 8 4
Switzerland 1954 Quarter-finals 8th 4 2 0 2 11 11 Squad Qualified as hosts
Sweden 1958 Did not qualify 4 0 1 3 6 11
Chile 1962 Group stage 16th 3 0 0 3 2 8 Squad 5 4 0 1 11 10
England 1966 16th 3 0 0 3 1 9 Squad 6 4 1 1 7 3
Mexico 1970 Did not qualify 6 2 1 3 5 8
West Germany 1974 6 2 2 2 2 4
Argentina 1978 4 1 0 3 3 5
Spain 1982 8 2 3 3 9 12
Mexico 1986 8 2 4 2 5 10
Italy 1990 8 2 1 5 10 14
United States 1994 Round of 16 16th 4 1 1 2 5 7 Squad 10 6 3 1 23 6
France 1998 Did not qualify 8 3 1 4 11 12
South Korea Japan 2002 10 4 2 4 18 12
Germany 2006 Round of 16 10th 4 2 2 0 4 0 Squad 12 5 6 1 22 11
South Africa 2010 Group stage 19th 3 1 1 1 1 1 Squad 10 6 3 1 18 8
Brazil 2014 Round of 16 11th 4 2 0 2 7 7 Squad 10 7 3 0 17 6
Russia 2018 14th 4 1 2 1 5 5 Squad 12 10 1 1 24 7
Qatar 2022 12th 4 2 0 2 5 9 Squad 8 5 3 0 15 2
Canada Mexico United States 2026 To be determined To be determined
Morocco Portugal Spain 2030
Saudi Arabia 2034
Total Quarter-finals 12/22 41 14 8 19 55 73 — 140 68 37 35 220 150
* Draws include knockout matches decided via penalty shoot-out.
** Red border colour indicates that the tournament was held on home soil.

UEFA European Championship

Main article: Switzerland at the UEFA European Championship
UEFA European Championship record Qualifying record
Year Round Position Pld W D L GF GA Squad Pld W D L GF GA
France 1960 Did not enter Did not enter
Spain 1964 Did not qualify 2 0 1 1 2 4
Italy 1968 6 2 1 3 17 13
Belgium 1972 6 4 1 1 12 5
Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia 1976 6 1 1 4 5 10
Italy 1980 8 2 0 6 7 18
France 1984 6 2 2 2 7 9
West Germany 1988 8 1 5 2 9 9
Sweden 1992 8 4 2 2 19 7
England 1996 Group stage 13th 3 0 1 2 1 4 Squad 8 5 2 1 15 7
Belgium Netherlands 2000 Did not qualify 8 4 2 2 9 5
Portugal 2004 Group stage 15th 3 0 1 2 1 6 Squad 8 4 3 1 15 11
Austria Switzerland 2008 9th 3 1 0 2 3 3 Squad Qualified as hosts
Poland Ukraine 2012 Did not qualify 8 3 2 3 12 10
France 2016 Round of 16 11th 4 1 3 0 3 2 Squad 10 7 0 3 24 8
Europe 2020 Quarter-finals 7th 5 1 3 1 8 9 Squad 8 5 2 1 19 6
Germany 2024 6th 5 2 3 0 8 4 Squad 10 4 5 1 22 11
United Kingdom Republic of Ireland 2028 To be determined To be determined
Italy Turkey 2032
Total Quarter-finals 6/17 23 5 11 7 24 28 — 110 48 29 33 194 133
* Draws include knockout matches decided via penalty shoot-out.
** Red border colour indicates that the tournament was held on home soil.

UEFA Nations League

UEFA Nations League record
League phase Finals
Season LG Grp Pos Pld W D L GF GA P/R RK Year Pos Pld W D L GF GA Squad
2018–19 A 2 1st 4 3 0 1 14 5 Same position 1st Portugal 2019 4th 2 0 1 1 1 3 Squad
2020–21 A 4 3rd 6 1 3 2 9 8 Same position 11th Italy 2021 Did not qualify
2022–23 A 2 3rd 6 3 0 3 6 9 Same position 9th Netherlands 2023
2024–25 A 4 In progress 2025 To be determined
Total 16 7 3 6 29 22 4th Total 2 0 1 1 1 3 —
* Draws include knockout matches decided via penalty shoot-out.

Olympic Games

Olympic Games record
Year Round Position Pld W D L GF GA Squad
France 1924 Silver medal 2nd 6 4 1 1 15 6 Squad
Netherlands 1928 Round of 16 13th 1 0 0 1 0 4 Squad
Since 1992 See Switzerland national under-23 football team
Total 7 4 1 2 15 10 —

Head-to-head record

As of 18 November 2024, after the match against  Spain.

      Positive Record       Neutral Record       Negative Record

Honours

Major competitions

Friendly

  • Lunar New Year Cup
    • Champions (1): 1993

Summary

Competition 1 2 3 Total
FIFA World Cup 0 0 0 0
Olympic Games 0 1 0 1
UEFA European Championship 0 0 0 0
UEFA Nations League 0 0 0 0
Total 0 1 0 1

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Selección de fútbol de Suiza para niños

  • List of Switzerland international footballers
  • Switzerland national under-23 football team (Switzerland Olympic team)
  • Switzerland national under-21 football team
  • Switzerland national under-20 football team
  • Switzerland national under-19 football team
  • Switzerland national under-18 football team
  • Switzerland national under-17 football team
  • Switzerland national under-16 football team
  • Swiss Footballer of the Year
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Switzerland national football team Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.