Everything you need to know about Switzerland’s squad ahead of Euro 2024

Switzerland have qualified for the knockout stages in their last two appearances in the European Championships. They will be hoping that they can go one better than the quarter-final they reached at Euro 2020 when they shocked France in the round of 16.

Qualification for the tournament wasn’t plain sailing for the Swiss, though, as they only won four out of their 10 matches, finishing second behind Romania. Zeki Amdouni was the top scorer in this qualification group, and the Burnley forward is one of many talented Switzerland players who will be keen to impress in Germany this summer.

The manager, Murat Yakin, is under pressure to perform at Euro 2024, and this tournament could be critical to his future in the role. Here is an in-depth guide and analysis of Switzerland ahead of their first game against Hungary on 15th June.

Euro 2024 Group

Yakin’s side were drawn in Group A, which includes the hosts Germany. In their last six appearances against the Germans since 2004, Switzerland have only won once, which was back in 2012. This is the first time the two teams will meet in a major tournament since 1966 when Germany won 5-0. Switzerland are capable of producing a shock result, though, as shown by their victory against favourites France at Euro 2020 and their 1-0 win against eventual world champions Spain in 2010.

The Swiss boast a successful record against their other two group-stage opponents, Scotland and Hungary. They have beaten Hungary in their last three matches and have only lost one of their last five games against Scotland. Hungary will be their first opponent of the tournament in Cologne. They then face Scotland at the same stadium before finishing their group-stage campaign against the hosts in Frankfurt on 23rd June.

Switzerland Manager

Murat Yakin

Yakin is under pressure coming into this tournament. After winning the opening three matches of their qualifying group for this tournament, the Swiss only won one of their last seven matches. They finished second in a weak group behind Romania and only two points ahead of Israel.

In the recent friendlies in March, Yakin experimented with his tactics in a ploy to find a functional system ahead of Euro 2024. A month before this international break, the Swiss FA appointed Giorgio Contini as one of his assistant coaches. This is a clear sign that the federation are not completely confident in the current manager, and an underwhelming campaign in Germany could spell an end to his three-year tenure.

Provisional Squad

At the end of May, Switzerland unveiled an original 38-man provisional squad, before Yakin reduced that number to 33. The Swiss coaching staff chopped the roster down to 27 ahead of UEFA’s deadline on 7th June. Yakin will be confident with the team at his disposal, given that he has a good mix of experience and rising prospects. The full squad is outlined below:

Goalkeepers

• Gregor Kobel (Borussia Dortmund)
• Yvon Mvogo (Lorient)
• Yann Sommer (Inter Milan)

Defenders

• Manuel Akanji (Manchester City)
• Nico Elvedi (Borussia Monchengladbach)
• Ricardo Rodriguez (Torino)
• Fabian Schar (Newcastle United)
• Leonidas Stergiou (VfB Stuttgart)
• Silvan Widmer (Mainz 05)
• Cedric Zesiger (VfL Wolfsburg)

Midfielders

• Michel Aebischer (Bologna)
• Remo Freuler Bologna)
• Ardon Jashari (Luzern)
• Fabian Rieder (Rennes)
• Xherdan Shaqiri (Chicago Fire FC)
• Vincent Sierro (Toulouse)
• Granit Xhaka (Bayer Leverkusen)
• Denis Zakaria (Monaco)

Forwards

• Zeki Amdouni (Burnley)
• Kwadwo Duah (Ludogorets)
• Breel Embolo (Monaco)
• Dan Ndoye (Bologna)
• Noah Okafor (Milan)
• Renato Steffen (Lugano)
• Ruben Vargas (Augsburg)
• Andi Zeqiri (Genk)
• Steven Zuber (AEK)

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Key Players

Experience is something that this Switzerland team have in abundance. Most notably, Granit Xhaka, Yann Sommer, and Manuel Akanji come into this tournament as title winners with Bayer Leverkusen, Inter Milan and Manchester City, respectively. Fabian Schar was also a consistent performer for Newcastle United, meaning that Yakin has a solid core of experienced players to rely on. The question is whether the unpolished young players in the squad can support the older guard.

While players like Amdouni and Noah Okafor are capable of producing spectacular performances, they have both had indifferent seasons. Scoring goals might come down to the form of Breel Embolo, who has only recently returned from an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) he suffered back in August 2023. Given the uncertainty around Embolo’s sharpness and the form of the younger flair players, it is hard to see Switzerland as a free-scoring outfit at Euro 2024.

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Formation and Tactics

Yakin’s preferred formation as Switzerland manager has historically been a 4-2-3-1. He has also opted for a 4-3-3 at times, which he did for their 6-1 defeat against Portugal in the round of 16 of the 2022 World Cup. Since then, there has been much more experimentation in the tactics used, and, after the underwhelming qualification campaign, Yakin has switched to a back three. This was a formation favoured by the previous manager, Vladimir Petkovic, who reached the quarter-finals of Euro 2020.

The new formation has prompted a burst of clean sheets in friendlies against Denmark, Estonia and the Republic of Ireland. The only remaining question is whether he will opt for a 3-4-3 to provide extra width or play a 3-5-2 to get more bodies in the centre of the pitch. Having at least two experienced midfielders in front of the defence will be key to this system functioning. Xhaka will be one of them, and there are plenty of options to join him, including former Atalanta midfielder Remo Freuler.

Predicted Lineup (3-4-3):

Sommer; Schar, Akanji, Rodriguez; Widmer, Freuler, Xhaka, Ndoye; Shaqiri, Amdouni, Vargas

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Euro 2024 Kit

Switzerland’s home jersey is one of the best kits at Euro 2024. Puma has supplied Switzerland with a traditional but refined design, featuring two shades of red. Across the shirt, there are pinstripes that aren’t overpowering, along with a white collar and cuffs to provide a nice contrast to the red. It is simple but extremely effective, and it could prove to be one of the most popular jerseys at this summer’s tournament. When Puma launched the kit, they said:

The away kit is a slightly different design, boasting pinstripes in swirled patterns on the front of the shirt, with a white background accompanied by two shades of blue. Puma said that the away jersey captures the “harmonious fusion of natural beauty and engineering excellence that defines Switzerland”. It is also worth noting that both kits were made from recycled materials.

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How to Buy Tickets

Tickets to watch Switzerland at the Euros in the group stages have already sold out. The only way to watch them inside the stadium now would be to spend a significant amount on an unofficial ticket resale platform. The latest phase on the UEFA ticketing website concluded on 2nd May.

You can create a ticketing account on UEFA’s website for any updates on last-minute tickets for Euro 2024 that become available. If Yakin’s side make it through to the knockout phase, supporters can try to get a ticket for the sale, which opens on 23rd June. There are also four membership schemes available on the Swiss national football team website, which will increase supporters’ chances of getting tickets for future matches.

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How to Watch on TV

Switzerland fans who are unable to get tickets inside the stadium can watch Euro 2024 on TV. In the UK, 51 games will be broadcast on both the BBC and ITV. Switzerland’s opening match against Hungary is the second game of the tournament and will be live on ITV at 14:00 BST – three hours before Spain play Croatia on ITV and six hours before Italy‘s clash against Albania on the BBC.

Yakin’s team will then face Steve Clarke’s Scotland four days later on BBC One before concluding Group A against Germany on BBC Two. The last match will take place at the same time as the other game in the group. In the United States of America, Switzerland supporters can watch all three matches live on Fox Sports and FuboTV.

Stats via Transfermarkt. Correct as of 7th June 2024.