Switzerland 2022 World Cup Preview: Expectations Soar for the Swiss

Switzerland knocked France out of the Euros and has the squad to compete with anyone, but a tough group will present a potential roadblock.

It comes as no surprise that Switzerland has qualified for its fourth straight World Cup. What is surprising is the amount of success the team has had over the last two years. At the Euros, the Swiss shocked the world by eliminating reigning World Cup champion France in the round of 16, and it nearly took down Spain before losing in a penalty shootout. Then, Switzerland booked its ticket to Qatar by steadily picking up points in a qualifying group that featured European champion Italy.

All this came despite a coaching change midway through the qualifying campaign, and just after the successful Euros. When Vladimir Petković left for Bordeaux, Switzerland brought in former center back Murat Yakin, who made 49 appearances for the country. Yakin guided the team through the second half of qualifying and now has the side looking confident ahead of a group stage that will surely test it.

After qualifying for the World Cup in November, Switzerland embarked on a concerning stretch by going winless in its first five games of 2022, including defeats to Qatar-bound England, Portugal and Spain. But the Swiss rebounded in their last two UEFA Nations League matches by defeating Portugal and Spain, and will head to Qatar as the 15th-ranked team in the world.

Group G Schedule (all times Eastern)

- Cameroon, Nov. 24, 5 a.m.

- Brazil, Nov. 28, 11 a.m.

- Serbia, Dec. 2, 2 p.m.

Coach

Murat Yakin, hired in August 2021

Switzerland has had plenty to celebrate following success at Euro 2020 and World Cup qualifying :: JustPicturesPlus/Imago Images

Players to Watch

Granit Xhaka, midfielder

The central midfielder is the key leader of the Swiss team. Only Xherdan Shaqiri has made more appearances for Switzerland in the active squad, and the two will be relied upon heavily. Xhaka has come up big on the World Cup stage before, scoring in each of the last two tournaments. But it is his tenacity and reliability in midfield that will be key to advancing to the knockout stage, especially if Switzerland hopes to stem a talented Brazilian attack and defeat Serbia in a tough final group-stage matchup. After a successful year with Switzerland and helping lead Arsenal to a fast start in the Premier League, Xhaka arrives in Qatar in great form and has the experience to spark a Switzerland breakthrough.

Yann Sommer, goalkeeper

Penalties have played an instrumental part of the success of the last few years for Switzerland, and Sommer has been right at the center of it. The Borussia Mönchengladbach keeper came up huge during at the Euros against France and also saved a massive penalty in World Cup qualifying against Italy that helped the Swiss win the group. He also saved a penalty in the team’s last match against the Czech Republic in the UEFA Nations League. The 2018 World Cup saw the most penalties ever awarded at a World Cup, so if you’re Swiss, it’ll help to know you have one of the best penalty stoppers in the sport on your side.

Manuel Akanji, defender

There’s a reason that Pep Guardiola and Manchester City plucked Akanji from Borussia Dortmund over the summer, and it all starts with his stabilizing presence at the back. The 27-year-old center back is known for his ability to read the game and also distribute the ball, while his physical tools are enough to stand up to both powerful and quick opposing attacks. Akanji is beginning to emerge as a real leader for Switzerland, which will need a solid defender to deal with the group’s intimidating forwards.

Embolo led Switzerland’s group in goals during World Cup qualifying :: Evaldas Semiotas/Imago Images

Breakout Candidate

Breel Embolo, forward

After scoring 25 goals in three seasons with Borussia Mönchengladbach, the 25-year-old striker made the move to Monaco this summer, where he has gotten off to a strong start with eight goals in all competitions. In helping the Swiss to Qatar, Embolo led the country’s World Cup qualifying group with three goals. Embolo is a powerful forward capable of leading the line alone and holding up play, two qualities that could come up big for Switzerland against physical defenses like those of Brazil and Serbia. Since the last World Cup, he has been touted as the key to unlocking Switzerland’s attack and, backed by an experienced midfield based on solid distribution, Embolo has everything he needs for a breakout tournament.

World Cup History

- 12th appearance

- Last appearance: 2018 (Round of 16)

- Best finish: Quarterfinals in 1934, 1938 and 1954

Outlook and Expectations

After dispatching France at the Euros and wrestling a spot in Qatar away from Italy, the 2022 World Cup may have the highest expectations for Switzerland in recent memory. But with the World Cup favorite in the group like Brazil and another strong European side in Serbia, Switzerland must be careful to not let expectation turn into disappointment.

The Swiss begin their World Cup against Cameroon and will have to make sure it starts off on the right foot. Switzerland tied Brazil four years ago in Russia, and it would be a massive success to manage a point once again. But all signs point to the final group game against Serbia to determine the second team to come out of the group. Adding intrigue to the group finale is the international stir that Xhaka and Shaqiri caused when they scored against Serbia at the last World Cup and displayed Albanian nationalist symbols, which led to a fine and plenty of international backlash.

World Cup Squad

GOALKEEPERS: Gregor Kobel (Borussia Dortmund), Philipp Köhn (Salzburg), Jonas Omlin (Montpellier), Yann Sommer (Borussia Mönchengladbach)

DEFENDERS: Manuel Akanji (Manchester City), Eray Cömert (Valencia), Nico Elvedi (Borussia Mönchengladbach), Ricardo Rodriguez (Torino), Fabian Schär (Newcastle), Silvan Widmer (Mainz)

MIDFIELDERS: Michel Aebischer (Bologna), Edimilson Fernandes (Mainz), Fabian Frei (Basel), Remo Freuler (Nottingham Forest), Ardon Jashari (Luzern), Fabian Rieder (Young Boys), Xherdan Shaqiri (Chicago Fire), Djibril Sow (Eintracht Frankfurt), Renato Steffen (Lugano), Granit Xhaka (Arsenal), Denis Zakaria (Chelsea)

FORWARDS: Breel Embolo (Monaco), Christian Fassnacht (Young Boys), Noah Okafor (Salzburg), Haris Seferović (Galatasaray), Ruben Vargas (Augsburg)