Switzerland have been procuring a reputation as giant slayers in recent times, so Brazil and co. beware: Murat Yakin’s squad are back and in axe-swinging mood.
The Swiss are often touted as underdogs going into major tournaments, owing to a perceived lack of star names — but make no mistake, this is a serious tournament team.
They’ve progressed from the group stages at five of their last six major tournaments, and rocked Euro 2020 by knocking-out the world champions, France.
In qualifying for Qatar 2022, Arsenal’s Granit Xhaka and his international teammates went unbeaten to seal first place in UEFA Group C and beat Euro 2020 champions Italy, who then crashed out in the playoffs.
Final 26-man Switzerland World Cup roster
Yakin named his final 26-man squad on Wednesday, November 9, five days ahead of the FIFA-imposed deadline of November 14.
Nations had until Friday, October 21 to submit an official preliminary list of 35-55 players to FIFA, from which they were required to select a final 26-man roster for Qatar by Monday, November 14.
Here’s the final 26-man list.
| Position | Player | Club | Age | Caps |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Goalkeeper | Yann Sommer | Borussia Monchengladbach (GER) | 33 | 76 |
| Goalkeeper | Gregor Kobel | Borussia Dortmund (GER) | 24 | 3 |
| Goalkeeper | Philipp Kohn | RB Salzburg (AUT) | 24 | 0 |
| Goalkeeper | Jonas Omlin | Montpellier (FRA) | 24 | 3 |
| Defender | Fabian Schar | Newcastle (ENG) | 30 | 72 |
| Defender | Manuel Akanji | Manchester City (ENG) | 27 | 42 |
| Defender | Ricardo Rodriguez | Torino (ITA) | 30 | 100 |
| Defender | Nico Elvedi | Borussia Monchengladbach (GER) | 26 | 40 |
| Defender | Silvan Widmer | Mainz (GER) | 29 | 33 |
| Defender | Eray Comert | Valencia (SPA) | 24 | 9 |
| Midfielder | Granit Xhaka | Arsenal (ENG) | 30 | 106 |
| Midfielder | Remo Freuler | Nottingham Forest (ENG) | 30 | 48 |
| Midfielder | Fabian Frei | Basel (SWI) | 33 | 22 |
| Midfielder | Denis Zakaria | Chelsea (ENG) | 25 | 42 |
| Midfielder | Djibril Sow | Frankfurt (GER) | 25 | 32 |
| Midfielder | Renato Steffen | Lugano (SWI) | 30 | 27 |
| Midfielder | Michel Aebischer | Bologna (ITA) | 25 | 11 |
| Midfielder | Ardon Jashari | Luzern (SWI) | 20 | 1 |
| Midfielder | Fabian Rieder | Young Boys (SUI) | 0 | 0 |
| Midfielder | Xherdan Shaqiri | Chicago Fire (USA) | 31 | 108 |
| Midfielder | Ruben Vargas | Augsburg (GER) | 24 | 26 |
| Midfielder | Edimilson Fernandes | Mainz (GER) | 26 | 22 |
| Forward | Noah Okafor | RB Salzburg (AUT) | 22 | 8 |
| Forward | Christian Fassnacht | Young Boys (SUI) | 28 | 15 |
| Forward | Haris Seferovic | Galatasaray (TUR) | 30 | 88 |
| Forward | Breel Embolo | Monaco (FRA) | 25 | 58 |
The most notable absences from the final list are:
- Yvon Mvogo (Lorient)
- David Von Ballmoos (Young Boys)
- Kevin Mbabu (Fulham)
- Jordan Lotomba (Nice)
- Leonidas Stergiou (St Gallen)
- Steven Zuber (AEK Athens)
- Cedric Itten (Young Boys)
- Dan Ndoye (Basel)
- Mario Gavranovic (Kayserispor)
Goalkeeper Mvogo is known to have picked up a thigh injury while playing for Lorient in Ligue 1 against Paris Saint-Germain.
Young Boys midfielder Fabian Rieder, 20, is called up for the first time, and Sturm Graz defender Gregory Wuthrich is in contention for the first time after being placed on a 13-man standby list.
Switzerland World Cup group
Switzerland are facing familiar opposition in Qatar, drawing an almost identical group to the one they faced at the 2018 World Cup.
The Swiss will be pleased with a repeat of their 1-1 draw against Brazil in Russia, with the Selecao far stronger than four years ago. Serbia, who they also played in 2018, and Cameroon will present a robust challenge in this competitive group.
Switzerland Group G fixtures and match schedule
| Date | Match | Time (ET) | Stadium |
| Thurs, Nov. 24 | Switzerland vs. Cameroon | 5 a.m. | Al Janoub Stadium |
| Mon, Nov. 28 | Brazil vs. Switzerland | 11 a.m. | Stadium 974 |
| Fri, Dec. 2 | Serbia vs. Switzerland | 2 p.m. | Stadium 974 |
