The FIFA World Cup, sometimes called the Football World Cup, but usually referred to simply as the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), the sport's global governing body. The championship has been awarded every four years since the first tournament in 1930, except in 1942 and 1946 due to World War II.
The tournament consists of two parts, the qualification phase and the final phase (officially called the World Cup Finals). The qualification phase, which currently take place over the three years preceding the Finals, is used to determine which teams qualify for the Finals. The current format of the Finals involves 48 teams competing for the title, at venues within the host nation (or nations) over a period of about a month. The World Cup final is the most widely viewed sporting event in the world, with an estimated 715.1 million people watching the 2006 tournament final.
Switzerland have appeared in the World Cup on twelve occasions. They have reached the quarter-finals four times, in 1934, 1938, 1954, and 2026.
World Cup record Switzerland's record at FIFA World Cups: YearRoundPosition* 1930Did not enter 1934Quarter-finals7th210155 19387th311155 1950Group stage6th311146 1954Quarter-finals8th42021111 1958Did not qualify 1962Group stage16th300328 196616th300319 1970Did not qualify 1974 1978 1982 1986 1990 1994Round of 1616th411257 1998Did not qualify 2002 2006Round of 1610th422040 2010Group stage19th311111 2014Round of 1611th420277 201814th412155 202212th420259 2026Quarter-finals7th6321106 2030To be determined 2034Total: 13/23Quarter-finals7th471710206579 *Draws include knockout matches decided via penalty shoot-out.
Switzerland's World Cup recordFirst Match Switzerland 3–2 (27 May 1934; Milan, Italy)Biggest Win 4–1 (23 June 1954; Basel, Switzerland) 4–1 (22 June 1994; Pontiac, United States) 03 (25 June 2014; Manaus, Brazil) 4–1 (18 June 2026; Inglewood, United States)Biggest Defeat 5–0 (12 July 1966; Sheffield, England) 6–1 (6 December 2022; Lusail, Qatar)Best ResultQuarter-finals in 1934, 1938, 1954, and 2026Worst ResultGroup stage in 1950, 1962, 1966 and 2010
By match World CupRoundOpponentScoreResultLocationSwitzerland scorers1934Round of 163–2WMilan Kielholz (2), AbegglenQuarter-finals2–3LTurinKielholz, Jäggi1938Round of 161–1 DParis Abegglen (replay)4–2W ParisWalaschek, Bickel, Abegglen (2)Quarter-finals0–2L Lille1950Group 10–3LBelo Horizonte 2–2D São PauloFatton (2)2–1W Porto AlegreBader, Antenen1954Group 22–1WLausanneBallaman, Hügi0–2L Bern (play-off)4–1W BaselHügi (2), Ballaman, FattonQuarter-final5–7LLausanneBallaman (2), Hügi (3)1962Group 21–3LSantiagoWüthrich1–2LSantiagoSchneiter0–3L Santiago1966Group 20–5LSheffield1–2LSheffieldQuentin0–2L Sheffield1994Group A1–1DPontiacBregy4–1WPontiacSutter, Chapuisat, Knup (2)0–2LPalo AltoRound of 16 0–3LWashington2006Group G0–0DStuttgart2–0WDortmundFrei, Barnetta2–0WHanoverSenderos, FreiRound of 160–0 DCologne2010Group H1–0WDurbanFernandes0–1LPort Elizabeth0–0D Bloemfontein2014Group E2–1W BrasíliaMehmedi, Seferovic2–5LSalvadorDžemaili, Xhaka3–0WManausShaqiri (3)Round of 160–1 LSão Paulo2018Group E1–1D Rostov-on-DonZuber2–1WKaliningradXhaka, Shaqiri2–2DNizhny NovgorodDžemaili, DrmićRound of 160–1LSaint Petersburg2022Group G1–0WAl WakrahEmbolo0–1LDoha3–2WDohaShaqiri, Embolo, FreulerRound of 161–6LLusailAkanji2026Group B1–1DSanta ClaraEmbolo4–1W Inglewood Manzambi (2), Vargas, Xhaka2–1W Vancouver Vargas, Manzambi Round of 32 2–0 W Vancouver Embolo, Ndoye Round of 16 0–0 (4–3 p) D Vancouver Quarter-finals 1–3 L Kansas City Ndoye
Match records
1934 FIFA World Cup The group stage used in the first World Cup was discarded in favour of a straight knockout tournament.
1938 FIFA World Cup
1950 FIFA World Cup Team32108253201734311146330032100
1954 FIFA World Cup Switzerland hosted the tournament in 1954 and reached the quarter-final for a third time, where the team was beaten 7–5 by neighbouring Austria.
Team2110643210123221015322011581
Switzerland finished ahead of Italy by winning a play-off
1962 FIFA World Cup After missing out on the previous tournament, Switzerland qualified for the 1962 edition, held in Chile. Unfortunately, they finished at the bottom of Group 2 without a single point, having lost all their matches. Team3210414.0053201531.6743111321.5033003280.250
1966 FIFA World Cup Despite securing back-to-back qualification for the FIFA World Cups, Switzerland's performance in the 1966 edition was far more abysmal. They lost all of their matches once more, including a 5-0 walloping by eventual runners-up West Germany in their opening game. To date, this remains as Switzerland's worst performance.
This was also Switzerland's last FIFA World Cup campaign in 28 years, as their next appearance at the tournament would come in the 1994 edition.
Team3210717.0053210414.0053102450.8023003190.110
West Germany was placed first due to superior goal average.
1994 FIFA World Cup
GK 1Tony Meola (c)SW 17Marcelo BalboaRB 4 Cle KooimanCB 22Alexi LalasLB 20Paul CaligiuriRM 9 Tab RamosCM 16 Mike SorberCM 5 Thomas DooleyLM 6 John Harkes CF 8 Earnie Stewart CF 11 Eric Wynalda Substitutions:FW 10Roy Wegerle FW 13Cobi Jones Manager: Bora Milutinović GK 1 Marco PascoloSW 5 Alain Geiger (c)RB 2 Marc HottigerCB 4 Dominique Herr LB 3 Yvan QuentinCM 6 Georges BregyCM 10Ciriaco Sforza RW 8Christophe OhrelAM 16Thomas Bickel LW 7 Alain SutterCF 11Stéphane ChapuisatSubstitutions:FW 14 Nestor Subiat MF 21Thomas Wyss Manager: Roy Hodgson
Assistant referees: Ernesto Taibi (Argentina) Venancio Zarate (Paraguay) Fourth official: Ernesto Filippi (Uruguay)
GK 12Bogdan SteleaDF 2 Dan PetrescuDF 3 Daniel ProdanDF 4 Miodrag Belodedici MF 5 Ioan Lupescu MF 6 Gheorghe PopescuMF 7 Dorinel MunteanuFW 9 Florin RăducioiuMF 10Gheorghe Hagi (c)MF 11Ilie Dumitrescu DF 14Gheorghe Mihali Substitutions:MF 15Basarab Panduru FW 16Ion Vlădoiu Manager:Anghel Iordănescu GK 1 Marco PascoloDF 2 Marc HottigerDF 3 Yvan QuentinDF 4 Dominique HerrDF 5 Alain Geiger (c)MF 6 Georges BregyMF 7 Alain Sutter DF 8Christophe Ohrel FW 9Adrian KnupMF 10Ciriaco SforzaFW 11Stéphane ChapuisatSubstitutions:MF 16 Thomas Bickel MF 20Patrick Sylvestre Manager: Roy Hodgson
Assistant referees: Abdel-Magid Hassan (Egypt) Davoud Fanaei (Iran) Fourth official: Joël Quiniou (France)
Note: Switzerland's fourth goal is also credited to Georges Bregy.
GK 1Marco PascoloDF 2 Marc HottigerDF 3 Yvan QuentinDF 4 Dominique HerrDF 5 Alain Geiger (c)MF 6 Georges Bregy MF 7 Alain Sutter DF 8 Christophe OhrelFW 9Adrian Knup MF 10Ciriaco SforzaFW 11Stéphane ChapuisatSubstitutions:FW 14Nestor Subiat FW 15Marco Grassi Manager: Roy Hodgson GK 1 Óscar CórdobaDF 2 Andrés EscobarDF 3 Alexis MendozaDF 4 Luis Fernando HerreraMF 5 Hernán Gaviria MF 10 Carlos Valderrama (c) FW 11 Adolfo Valencia MF 14Leonel Álvarez MF 19Freddy RincónDF 20Wilson PérezFW 21Faustino AsprillaSubstitutions:FW 7 Antony de Ávila MF 8John Harold Lozano Manager:Francisco Maturana
Assistant referees: Carl-Johan Meyer Christensen (Denmark) Douglas Micael James (Trinidad and Tobago) Fourth official: Arturo Brizio Carter (Mexico)
GK 1 Andoni Zubizarreta (c)DF 2 Albert Ferrer DF 4 Paco Camarasa DF 5 AbelardoDF 6 Fernando Hierro MF 7 Andoni Goikoetxea MF 10José Mari BakeroDF 12SergiDF 18Rafael AlkortaMF 20Miguel Ángel NadalMF 21Luis EnriqueSubstitutions:MF 11Txiki Begiristain DF 3 Jorge Otero Manager:Javier Clemente GK 1 Marco Pascolo DF 2 Marc Hottiger DF 3 Yvan Quentin DF 4 Dominique HerrDF 5 Alain Geiger (c)MF 6 Georges BregyDF 8 Christophe Ohrel FW 9 Adrian KnupMF 10Ciriaco SforzaFW 11Stéphane ChapuisatMF 16Thomas BickelSubstitutions:DF 19Jürg Studer FW 14Nestor Subiat Manager: Roy Hodgson
2006 FIFA World Cup
The World Cup 2006 in Germany was the first World Cup for Switzerland since their participation at the World Cup 1994. After finishing second behind France in qualifying group 4, they defeated Turkey in the play-off round 2–0 and 4–2 to qualify for the main tournament.
In the group stage, they played again against France. The game played in Stuttgart ended in a goalless draw. After defeating Togo 2–0 in Dortmund and South Korea also 2–0 in Hannover, they finished first in group G and qualified for the knockout stage. In the second round of the tournament, they faced Ukraine in Cologne. The game had to be decided in a penalty shoot-out since no goal was scored after 120 minutes. Ukraine won the shoot-out 3–0. Switzerland was the only team in tournament not to have conceded a goal during regulation time in their matches. Switzerland's top scorer at the tournament was Alexander Frei with two goals. When Switzerland lost 3–0 on penalties, that was the first time that a team lost on penalties without scoring a single goal in the penalties.
All times local (CEST/UTC+2)
GK 16Fabien BarthezRB 19Willy Sagnol CB 15Lilian ThuramCB 5 William GallasLB 3 Eric Abidal CM 4 Patrick VieiraCM 6 Claude MakéléléRW 22Franck Ribéry AM 10Zinedine Zidane (c) LW 11Sylvain Wiltord CF 12Thierry HenrySubstitutions:FW 14Louis Saha MF 8 Vikash Dhorasoo Manager:Raymond Domenech GK 1 Pascal ZuberbühlerRB 23Philipp Degen CB 20Patrick Müller CB 4 Philippe SenderosLB 3 Ludovic Magnin DM 6 Johann Vogel (c)RM 16Tranquillo BarnettaLM 8 Raphaël Wicky AM 7 Ricardo Cabanas CF 9 Alexander Frei CF 11Marco Streller Substitutions:FW 10Daniel Gygax DF 2 Johan Djourou MF 5 Xavier Margairaz Manager:Köbi Kuhn
Man of the Match: Claude Makélélé (France)
Assistant referees: Nikolay Golubev (Russia) Evgueni Volnin (Russia) Fourth official: Kevin Stott (United States) Fifth official: Gregory Barkey (United States)
GK 16Kossi AgassaRB 5 Massamasso Tchangai (c)CB 2 Daré NibombéCB 13Richmond ForsonLB 23Assimiou TouréDM 15Alaixys Romao RM 9 Thomas Dossevi CM 10Mamam Cherif Touré LM 8 Kuami Agboh SS 4 Emmanuel Adebayor CF 17Mohamed KaderSubstitutions:FW 7 Moustapha Salifou FW 18Yao Junior Senaya FW 11Robert Malm Manager: Otto Pfister GK 1 Pascal ZuberbühlerRB 23Philipp DegenCB 20Patrick MüllerCB 4 Philippe SenderosLB 3 Ludovic MagninDM 6 Johann Vogel (c) RM 16Tranquillo BarnettaLM 8 Raphaël WickyAM 7 Ricardo Cabanas CF 9 Alexander Frei CF 10Daniel Gygax Substitutions:MF 22Hakan Yakin FW 11Marco Streller FW 18Mauro Lustrinelli Manager:Köbi Kuhn
Man of the Match: Alexander Frei (Switzerland)
Assistant referees: Amelio Andino (Paraguay) Manuel Bernal (Paraguay) Fourth official: Mohamed Guezzaz (Morocco) Fifth official: Brahim Djezzar (Algeria)
GK 1 Pascal ZuberbühlerRB 23Philipp DegenCB 20Patrick MüllerCB 4 Philippe Senderos LB 17Christoph Spycher DM 6 Johann Vogel (c)RM 16Tranquillo BarnettaLM 8 Raphaël Wicky AM 7 Ricardo CabanasSS 22Hakan Yakin CF 9 Alexander FreiSubstitutions:DF 2 Johan Djourou MF 5 Xavier Margairaz MF 19Valon Behrami Manager:Köbi Kuhn GK 1 Lee Woon-jae (c)RB 12Lee Young-pyo CB 4 Choi Jin-cheul CB 6 Kim Jin-kyu LB 3 Kim Dong-jinRM 17Lee HoCM 5 Kim Nam-ilLM 10Park Chu-young AM 14Lee Chun-soo AM 7 Park Ji-sungCF 19Cho Jae-jinSubstitutions:FW 9 Ahn Jung-hwan FW 11Seol Ki-hyeon Manager: Dick Advocaat
Man of the Match: Alexander Frei (Switzerland)
Assistant referees: Darío García (Argentina) Rodolfo Otero (Argentina) Fourth official: Essam Abd El Fatah (Egypt) Fifth official: Dramane Danté (Mali)