Switzerland World Cup squad 2022: Who's in and who's out?

Switzerland World Cup squad 2022: Who's in and who's out?

Lewis Injai
updated at August 9, 2023 at 9:30 AM

Switzerland's penalty performance, where they could offset the current World champions, France, at last year's Euro20, is still fresh in our mind. In the UEFA Nations League, they also secured a win over Portugal and Spain, then surprised everyone in their match against Italy. Will they be able to replicate the same result in Qatar and who is in their World Cup squad?

Switzerland football team
Switzerland's players warm up during a training session at the University of Doha for Science and Technology training facilities in Doha on 16 November 2022. Photo: Fabrice Coffrini
Source: Getty Images

The Rossocrociati is regarded as of the best teams in the world, for as of 2022, they rank number 15 in the FIFA world ranking. This article gives a complete detailed list of Switzerland's World Cup squad in 2022, including the captain.

Switzerland men's national football team profile summary

Player

Club

Nickname

The Rossocrociati

Governing association

Swiss Football Association

Governing confederation

UEFA

Home stadium

Stadion Wankdorf and St. Jakob-Park

Head coach

Murat Yakin

Captain

Granit Xhaka

Most capped

Heinz Hermann

Top scorer

Alexander Frei

FIFA code

SUI

Switzerland's history at the World Cup

Switzerland has been to eleven World Cup tournaments, with its debut in 1934. Their best performances where they reached the quarter-final stage were in 1934, 1938, and 1954, when they were the host. They have been eliminated thrice at the group stages (1962, 1966, and 2010) and have made it to the final round four times (1994, 2006, 2014, and 2018).

Switzerland world cup squad 2022
Coach Murat Yakin looks on before the UEFA Nations League League A Group 2 match between Switzerland and the Czech Republic. Photo: Harry Langer
Source: Getty Images

In this year's World Cup, they are placed in group G and feated against Brazil, Cameroon, and Serbia.

Switzerland's world cup appearances

  • 1934, 1938, 1954, 1962, 1966, 1994, 2006, 2010, 2014, and 2018.

Who is in Switzerland's World Cup squad?

In the last world cup held in Russia, the Swiss were able to make it to the last 16 but were eliminated by Sweden by a single goal. Likewise, in 2014, when they met Argentina, Angel Di Maria ended their bid in the last 16 rounds in one of the most memorable moments in football.

Goalkeepers

For goalkeeping Yann Sommer of the Bundesliga's side, Borussia Mönchengladbach, is the number choice for this position, leaving Jonas Omlin of Dortmund, Philip Kohn of Salzburg, and Gregor Kobel of Dortmund contesting to be his backup option.

Switzerland world cup squad
Yann Sommer Looks on during the UEFA Nations League League A Group 2 match between Switzerland and the Czech Republic on 27 September 2022. Photo: Harry Langer
Source: Getty Images

Player

Club

Gregor Kobel

Dortmund

Yann Sommer

Borussia Monchengladbach

Jonas Omlin

Montpellier

Gregor Kobel

Dortmund

Defenders

Regarding the defense position, Manchester City's Manuel Akanji was the first name to be chosen to lead by example. He will be assisted by Nico Elvedi, Silvan Widmer, Fabian Schar, Ricardo Rodriguez and Eray Comert.

Switzerland world cup squad
Manuel Akanji during the Premier League match between Manchester City and Brentford FC at Etihad Stadium on 12 November 2022. Photo: Alex Livesey
Source: Getty Images

Player

Club

Nico Elvedi

Borussia Monchengladbach

Manuel Akanji

Manchester City

Silvan Widmer

Mainz 05

Eray Comert

Valencia

Ricardo Rodriguez

Torino

Fabian Schar

Newcastle United

Midfielders

At the mere mention of the Swiss midfield position, the question on everyone's mind is, is Xherdan Shaqiri playing in this World Cup? Even though he no longer plays for major European clubs, this former Liverpool midfielder, now playing for MLS club Chicago Fire was enlisted to bring his prowess to this world cup.

Shaqiri is one of the most loved players from Switzerland. In his career, he has won a total of 18 trophies which include seven league titles and two Champions League. He has also made over 100 appearences for his country. Even so, this comes in the backdrop of one of Switzerland's coaches, Arno Rossini calling him not "champion enough."

Who is the captain of the Switzerland national team in this world cup?
Granit Xhaka poses during the official FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 portrait session. This 30-year-old will captain the Swiss national football team. Photo: Lars Baron
Source: Getty Images

Also named for midfield roles are the Arsenal star Granit Xhaka who will captain the team, Edimilson Fernandes, Fabian Frei, Remo Freuler, Ardon Jashari, Fabian Rieder, Djibril Sow, Renato Steffen, Denis Zakaria, and Michel Aebischer.

Players

Club

Denis Zakaria

Chelsea

Djibril Sow

Eintracht Frankfurt

Renato Steffen

Lugano

Granit Xhaka

Arsenal

Remo Freuler

Nottingham Forest

Xherdan Shaqiri

Chicago Fire

Fabian Frei

Basel

Michel Aebischer

Bologna

Ardon Jashari

Luzern

Edimilson Fernandes

Mainz

Fabian Rieder

Young Boys

Attackers

Haris Seferovic, a Swiss legend who represented the team in the last two concurrent World Cups, will be the main man in the attacking position. By his side is Augsburg's break-out star Ruben Vargas, who scored one of Switzerland's penalties against France last year and was a crucial player in the country reaching the quarter-finals in the Euro 2020.

Switzerland world cup squad
Ruben Vargas controls the ball during the Bundesliga match between FC Augsburg and VfL Bochum 1848. The 24-year-old has been getting positive reviews for this game. Photo: Roland Krivec
Source: Getty Images

Others who got the nod for this position are Noah Okafor, who has been in good form lately, Christian Fassnacht, and Breel Embolo.

Player

Club

Ruben Vargas

Augsburg

Noah Okafor

RB Salzburg

Christian Fassnacht

Young Boys

Haris Seferovic

Galatasaray

Breel Embolo

Monaco

Switzerland’s 2022 World Cup jersey

Puma designed this year's Switzerland kits. The home shirt has a solid red base with details in the form of gradient patterns of white lines that begin just above the crest at the top of the shirt.

On the other hand, their away kit has come under a lot of criticism for its design. The shirt has a solid white base with fading transparent gradient patterns around the chest that are overshadowed by huge red box graphics and the Swiss flag on the top right side.

While the strongest names to watch from the Swiss team are Granit Xhaka and Ruben Vargas, there is no official confirmation on who will form the first team. Click here to learn more about Switzerland's national football team players, FIFA rankings, and trophies it has won.

Players who did not make the team

For various reasons, mainly injuries, the following players were the most prominent omissions from the final 26 man Switzerland squad:

  • 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)

Switzerland's World Cup group fixtures

Match

Date

Time

Switzerland vs Cameroon

Thursday, 24 November

11:00 AM(GMT+1)

Brazil vs Switzerland

Monday, 28 November

5:00 AM(GMT+1)

Serbia vs Switzerland

Friday, 2 December

8:00 PM(GMT+1)

Switzerland's World Cup squad may not contain household names, but from their past performances in their recent major tournaments, they remain an interesting team to watch.

READ ALSO: Mexico's World Cup Squad 2022: Is Ochoa playing in this World Cup?

Sportsbrief.com recently published an article revealing Brazil's World Cup Squad for the 2022 World Cup. Brazil's World Cup squad is one of the strongest.

The team has great stars such as Neymar and Vinicius, who have proven themselves in the various leagues they have played. One surprising event in the naming of the squad is the return of Dani Alves to the side. Click on the link above to explore who is in, out and why in Brazil's team.

Authors
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Lewis Injai