Switzerland

Roy Hodgson took over a Switzerland side that had spent years short of the finals of major tournaments. Under him the team qualified for the 1994 World Cup and for Euro 1996. In August 1993 it reached 3rd in the FIFA ranking, its highest position. The climb did not last. By December 1998 the ranking had dropped to 83rd.

The Nati (short for Nationalmannschaft, "national team") had been through big occasions before. At the 1954 World Cup, held at home, Switzerland reached the quarter-finals and lost 7–5 to Austria. Austria remain the main rival. The two countries have met regularly since 1917 and co-hosted Euro 2008.

The more recent progress came in steps. Köbi Kuhn took the team to the quarter-finals of Euro 2004. Under Vladimir Petković, Switzerland beat France in the round of 16 at Euro 2020. Murat Yakin, the current manager, brought the team back to the quarter-finals at Euro 2024.

Two players carry most of the record. Alexander Frei scored 42 goals, the most for the national team. Granit Xhaka has won more than 150 caps, more than any other Swiss player. The Association, founded in Olten in April 1895, now has its headquarters at the Haus des Schweizer Fussballs in Muri bei Bern. The team plays at the Stade de Suisse Wankdorf in Bern, in red and white.

Switzerland has never won the World Cup or the European Championship. Its best result is still the silver medal at the 1924 Olympics in Paris, where Uruguay won the final 3–0.