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.
