Murat Yakin: Switzerland can beat the biggest teams at World Cup

Switzerland head coach Murat Yakin has expressed strong belief in his team's ability to compete with the world's best as they prepare for the FIFA World Cup 2026. The Swiss secured their sixth consecutive World Cup qualification with characteristic efficiency, and Yakin is confident that his squad's blend of experience, discipline, and unity can propel them deep into the tournament.

Consistent Qualifiers

Switzerland have not missed a World Cup since 2002, a run that Yakin attributes to the team's strong culture and high standards. “We’re a close-knit team and have been together for some time now,” Yakin, 51, told FIFA. “We have a lot of experienced players who play for big clubs and know what’s at stake. It’s obviously fantastic to be here. We’re a tight group, and we enjoy playing football. We earned our place at the World Cup with our performances in every stage and every match.”

At the UEFA EURO 2024, Switzerland came close to a major upset, pushing England to a penalty shootout in the quarter-finals before losing 5-3. Yakin recalled: “Yes, we did go quite far in Germany. We not only held our own against the mighty England, but we were actually the better side. But in the end, luck was not on our side, unfortunately.” That performance reinforced the belief that the Swiss can challenge the elite.

Strength in Experience

The current squad features key players from Europe's top leagues, including Manchester City defender Manuel Akanji, Borussia Dortmund goalkeeper Gregor Kobel, and Bayer Leverkusen captain Granit Xhaka. Yakin praised their influence: “As a coach, it’s great to have players of such calibre – in terms of their character, mentality and experience – who also take on a lot of responsibility and play a key role at their clubs. You really can see the difference in their quality, intensity and training standards; the way they make their team-mates better, the way they make them stronger, the way they set an example for the young lads day in, day out.”

Teamwork and Trust

Yakin emphasized that the team's success stems from collective effort and mutual respect. “We play with joy but also seriously, and the fact that we’ve now qualified for the last six World Cups speaks volumes about how we train and the quality we have in the team. That’s great; it’s not to be taken for granted that a smaller footballing nation like Switzerland will always qualify. And when it comes to tournaments too, we now have so much experience in the team that we can go toe to toe with anyone. Our opponents respect us as well. They know the way we play and the results we’ve achieved. We’ve worked hard for that.”

He also highlighted the importance of addressing internal issues that previously held the team back. “We’ve done a lot of good work in the past to ensure that we can focus entirely on football. There were always little issues that repeatedly held us back – that was evident in our results. But we worked hard on that as a team. We’ve spoken at length – with the staff and the players – about how we’ve developed our football. It also helped to build trust within the team. It’s important that it’s not just me, the coach, who sets the tone. It’s great, of course, that we have players like Xhaka, Akanji and Kobel, who embody that spirit week in, week out. I’m growing alongside them too, through this challenge, and I’m delighted to have such players in my team because they push me too – I can learn a lot from them but they can also learn a lot from me. It’s all about working as a group; we’re all in this together.”

Switzerland will face Bosnia and Herzegovina, co-hosts Canada, and Qatar in Group B of the 2026 World Cup. With a strong foundation and a proven track record, Yakin believes a maiden semi-final appearance is within reach.