By Martin Petty
June 1 (Reuters) – After having a stellar Euro 24 run and going unbeaten in qualifying, Switzerland have reason to believe 2026 can be their breakthrough World Cup – if they can banish a hoodoo hanging over them for three decades.
Contesting their sixth successive World Cup, Switzerland’s consistency in qualifying is matched only by the predictability of their exits, vexed by the hex of round-of-16 eliminations in five of their past six tournaments.
Their second-round curse set lasting World Cup records in 2006, as the only team eliminated without conceding a goal in open play, and the ignominy of being the only side not to convert a single penalty in a shootout.
But 72 years after their last quarter-final appearance, the Nati approach this World Cup oozing confidence, unbeaten in competitive matches since November 2024 and riding momentum from a standout Euro 2024, where a shootout miss against England denied them an historic semi-final place.
Coach Murat Yakin said that with expectations rising, Switzerland were keen to finally make their mark on the tournament.
“We want to play the best World Cup that a Swiss team has played,” he told news portal Nau.ch.
“We want to show why we deserve to be there and write a new story at this World Cup.”
OLD STALWARTS AND RISING TALENT
Switzerland are perennial underdogs difficult for any team to beat, with a steadfast rearguard that leaked only two goals in qualifying, among the fewest conceded worldwide.
Drawn favourably in Group B with Qatar, Bosnia and hosts Canada, a Swiss advance should be straightforward, with a squad largely intact since their Euros run.
Captain and playmaker Granit Xhaka contests his fourth World Cup as the fulcrum in an experienced midfield alongside Remo Freuler, with Manuel Akanji the key defensive pillar in his third tournament.
The attack is set to include Breel Embolo and Ruben Vargas, young Premier League talent in Dan Ndoye and Noah Okafor, plus exciting 20-year-old Johan Manzambi from the Bundesliga.
The astute tactics of coach Yakin will be critical for Switzerland to reach the quarter-finals as they did in 1954, in what has proven a Herculean feat to replicate.
They qualified for only two of the next nine tournaments, before their return from the World Cup wilderness in 1994 kicked off the streak of round-of-16 stumbles.
And if 2026 will be Switzerland’s breakout World Cup, Yakin is not going to jinx it.
“We’re taking it step by step,” he said, when asked about a quarter-final berth. “I don’t want to think that far yet.”
(Reporting by Martin Petty; Editing by Ed Osmond)
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