Switzerland will be participating in its thirteenth World Cup, set to take place in the United States, Mexico, and Canada in 2026, with the mission of at least repeating the quarter-final performances achieved in the 1934 Italy, 1938 France, and the 1954 edition they hosted. The 'Helvetic' team will aim to get past the round of 16, a stage they have not been able to surpass for 72 years, according to a survey by the Argentine News Agency.
Italy 1934: Reached the quarter-finals At the 1934 World Cup in Italy, Switzerland participated for the first time in a World Cup and reached the quarter-finals when the tournament was played in a direct elimination format. In the first round, they defeated the Netherlands 3-2 with goals from Leopold 'Poldi' Kielholz (2) and André 'Trello' Abegglen, while Johannes Smit and Leen Vente scored for the 'Oranges'. In the quarter-finals, they were eliminated after losing 3-2 to Czechoslovakia, with goals from František Svoboda, Jiří Sobotka, and Oldřich Nejedlý for the winners, and from Kielholz and Willy Jäggi for the 'Helvetians'.
France 1938: Could not reach the semi-finals At the 1938 World Cup in France, the team was again knocked out in the quarter-finals, but not before eliminating Germany in a playoff match. In the round of 16, they drew 1-1 with the Germans, with a goal from Josef Gauchel for the 'Teutons' and from André 'Trello' Abegglen for the Swiss. However, as parity was maintained even in extra time, a playoff match was played, which the 'Helvetians' won 4-2 with goals from Eugen Walaschek, Alfred Bickel, and Abegglen (2), while Wilhelm 'Willy' Hahnemann and Ernst Lörtscher had given the Germans a temporary 2-0 lead. In the quarter-finals, Switzerland was eliminated by Hungary after losing 2-0, with goals from György Sárosi and Gyula Zsengellér.
Brazil 1950: Eliminated in the group stage At the 1950 World Cup in Brazil, the team failed to advance from the group stage, finishing third in Group 1 with 3 points, behind the hosts (5) and Yugoslavia (4) - only the group winner advanced - and ahead of Mexico (0). In their opener, they lost 3-0 to the 'Balkan' side, with goals from Rajko Mitić, Kosta Tomašević, and Tihomir Ognjanov. In the second match, they drew 2-2 with Brazil, with goals from Jacques Fatton, on two occasions, for the 'Helvetians' and from Alfredo and Baltazar for the South Americans. In the final game, they defeated Mexico 2-1, with goals from René Bader and Charles 'Kiki' Antenen, while Horacio Casarín scored for the 'Aztecs'.
Switzerland 1954: Could not get past the quarter-finals At the World Cup they hosted, Switzerland sought the possibility of making it into the top four teams of the tournament, but could not achieve it. They were second in Group 4 with 2 points, behind England (3) and ahead of Italy (2) and Belgium (1). In their opener, they defeated the 'Azzurri' 2-1, with goals from Robert Ballaman and Josef Hügi, while Giampiero Boniperti had temporarily equalized for the losing team. In the second match, they lost 2-0 to England, with goals from Jimmy Mullen and Dennis Wilshaw. In this tournament, each team played two matches, not three, and due to the points tie, Switzerland and Italy played a playoff, which the 'Helvetians' won 4-1, with goals from Hügi (2), Ballaman, and Jacques Fatton, while Fulvio Nesti scored for the 'Azzurri'. In the quarter-finals, they were eliminated after losing 7-5 to Austria in a real thriller, with goals from Theodor 'Turl' Wagner (3), Alfred Körner (2), Ernst Ocwirk, and Erich Probst for the winners, and from Ballaman (2) and Hügi (3) for the 'Helvetians'.
Chile 1962: Last and without points At the 1962 World Cup in Chile, their performance was very poor, as they finished last and without points in Group 2, which was led by West Germany (6), the hosts second (4), and Italy third (3). In their debut, they were winning 1-0 with a goal from Rolf Wüthrich, but the Andean side turned it around thanks to Leonel Sánchez (2) and Jaime Ramírez. In the second match, they lost to West Germany 2-1 with goals from Albert Brülls and Uwe Seeler for the 'Teutons' and from Heinz Schneiter for the losers. And in the final game, they were thrashed 3-0 by Italy, with goals from Bruno Mora and Giácomo Bulgarelli on two occasions.
England 1966: Another poor performance At the 1966 World Cup in England, the team had another terrible performance, finishing last and without points again in Group 2, behind West Germany (5), Argentina (5), and Spain (2). In their opener, they were hammered 5-0 by the 'Teutons', with goals from Sigfried Held, Helmut Haller (2, one from a penalty), and Franz Beckenbauer (2). In the second match, they lost 2-1 to Spain, with goals from Manuel Sanchís and Amancio, while René-Pierre Quentin had opened the score for the 'Helvetians'. In the final group game, they lost to Argentina 2-0, with goals from Luis Artime and Ermindo Onega.
USA 1994: The return after 28 years and elimination in the round of 16 At the 1994 World Cup in the United States, the team made its return after 28 years and did quite well, as they advanced to the round of 16, but that's where their hopes ended. They were in Group A and with 4 points (+1) were runners-up to Romania (6), while the hosts were third (4 and 0 goal difference) and Colombia fourth with 3. In their debut, they drew 1-1 with the United States, with a goal from Georges Bregy for the Europeans and from Eric Wynalda for the North American team. In the second match, they crushed Romania 4-1, with goals from Alain Sutter, Stéphane Chapuisat, and Adrian Knup (2), while Gheorghe Hagi had temporarily equalized for the losers. And in the final game, they lost 2-0 to Colombia, with goals from Herman Gaviria and Harold Lozano. In the round of 16, they were hammered 3-0 by Spain, with goals from Fernando Hierro, Luis Enrique, and Aitor 'Txiki' Begiristain from a penalty.
Germany 2006: The 'ghost' of the round of 16 was present again At the 2006 World Cup in Germany, the team was seen as one of the possible candidates to be among the top eight, but again was eliminated in the round of 16, this time by Ukraine on penalties. They topped Group G with 7 points, followed by France (5), South Korea (4), and Togo (0). In their opener, they drew 0-0 with the 'Gauls', and in the second match, they defeated the Africans 2-0 with goals from Alexander Frei and Tranquillo Barnetta. In the final game, they defeated South Korea 2-0, with goals from Philippe Senderos and Frei. In the round of 16, they were eliminated after losing 3-0 on penalties to Ukraine, after a 0-0 draw in regulation and extra time. For Ukraine, Artem Milevskiy, Serhiy Rebrov, and Oleg Gusev scored. Swiss goalkeeper Pascal Zuberbühler saved Andriy Shevchenko's penalty. Switzerland did not score, and Ukrainian goalkeeper Oleksandr Shovkovsky saved the shots from Marco Streller and Ricardo Cabanas, while Barnetta hit the crossbar with his.
South Africa 2010: Finished third in the group and was eliminated At the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, the team was eliminated in the group stage, finishing third with 4 points in Zone H, behind Spain (6) and Chile (6) and ahead of Honduras (1). In their opener, they pulled off a major shock by defeating 'La Furia', who would later win the tournament, 1-0 with a goal from Gelson Fernandes. In the second match, they lost 1-0 to Chile, with a goal from Mark González, while in the final game, they had the chance to advance if they beat debutants Honduras by a two-goal difference, but it ended 0-0 and they were eliminated.
Brazil 2014: Argentina was their 'executioner' in the round of 16 At the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, the team was again eliminated in the round of 16, although this time at the hands of the Argentina national team in extra time. They were in Group E and with 6 points were runners-up to France (7), followed by Ecuador (4) and Honduras (0). In their opener, they defeated the South Americans 2-1, with goals from Admir Mehmedi and Haris Seferović in stoppage time, while Enner Valencia had opened the score for the 'tricolor' team. In the second match, they were thrashed 5-2 by France, with goals from Olivier Giroud, Blaise Matuidi, Mathieu Valbuena, Karim Benzema, and Moussa Sissoko for the 'Gauls', and Blerim Džemaili and Granit Xhaka scored for the 'Helvetians'. In the final game, they crushed Honduras 3-0 with three goals from Xherdan Shaqiri. In the round of 16, they were eliminated after losing 1-0 in extra time to Argentina, with a goal from Ángel Di María with three minutes left before penalties.
Russia 2018: Suffered the nightmare of the round of 16 again At the 2018 World Cup in Russia, Switzerland was again eliminated in the round of 16, this time against Sweden. They were in Group E and with 5 points were runners-up to Brazil (7), followed by Serbia (3) and Costa Rica (1). In their opener, they drew 1-1 with the South Americans, with goals from Philippe Coutinho for the 'Verdeamarelho' and Steven Zuber for the Europeans. In the second match, they defeated Serbia 2-1, with goals from Granit Xhaka and Xherdan Shaqiri for the 'Helvetians', who were losing 1-0 with a goal from Aleksandar Mitrović. In the final game, they drew 2-2 with Costa Rica, with goals from Blerim Džemaili and Josip Drmić for the Europeans, and from Kendall Waston and an own goal from goalkeeper Yann Sommer in stoppage time for the Central Americans. In the round of 16, they were eliminated after losing 1-0 to Sweden, with a goal from Emil Forsberg.
Qatar 2022: Humiliated by Portugal At the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, Switzerland was again eliminated in the round of 16, but this time humiliatingly by Portugal. They were runners-up to Brazil in Group G on goal difference, as both teams had 6 points (+2 against +1), while Cameroon was third (4) and Serbia last (1). In their opener, they defeated the Africans 1-0 with a goal from Breel Embolo (a naturalized Cameroonian Swiss), while in the second match, they lost by the same score to the South Americans, with a goal from Casemiro. In the final game, they defeated Serbia 3-2 in an emotional match, with goals from Shaqiri, Embolo, and Remo Freuler, while Aleksandar Mitrović and Dušan Vlahović scored for the 'Balkan' side. In the round of 16, they were humiliated and eliminated by Portugal, losing 1-6, with goals from Gonçalo Ramos (3), Pepe, Raphaël Guerreiro, and Rafael Leão, while Manuel Akanji scored for the 'Helvetians'.
