Football in Switzerland
Swiss national football team.jpg
Swiss national team in 2006
CountrySwitzerland
Governing bodySwiss Football Association
National team(s)men's national team
First played1895; 127 years ago (1895)
National competitions
Club competitions
International competitions

Football is the most popular sport in Switzerland.[1][2][3][4] The Swiss Football Association was formed in 1895 and was a founder member of the sport's international governing body FIFA in 1904. The Swiss cities of Zürich and Nyon are home to FIFA and the European governing body UEFA respectively. The country played host to the 1954 World Cup and 2008 European Championship.

Switzerland has an extensive league system, with the Swiss Super League as the country's premier men's competition. There are also several cup competitions, most notably the national Swiss Cup.[5][6]

The Swiss national team participated in the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany and were narrowly beaten by Ukraine on penalties in the round of 16. Switzerland co-hosted the UEFA Euro 2008 tournament together with Austria. They were eliminated in the group stage, although they did record a win against Portugal. The best international result was in 1954 when Switzerland, as the host, reached the quarter-finals of the World Cup. They also reached the World Cup quarter-finals in 1934 as well as 1938.[7]

History

The first football club in Switzerland was the Lausanne Football and Cricket Club, founded in 1860 by English students. It was also the first football club created outside of England. The Swiss Football Association (ASF-SFV) is the highest body of professional football in Switzerland and was founded in 1895, although it joined the FIFA in 1904 and UEFA in 1954. The ASF-SFV organizes the Swiss Super League-the first and maximum league competition in the country- and the Swiss Cup, and manages the national men's and women's national team. Switzerland hosted the 1954 World Cup and, together with Austria, the 2008 European Championship.

Swiss football competitions

National team

Main article: Switzerland national football team

The Swiss national team, in its various categories, is controlled by the Swiss Football Association.

The Swiss team played their first official match on 12 February 1905 in Paris against France, with the French winning 1-0. Switzerland has managed to qualify for 11 FIFA World Cups and five European Championships, including Euro 2008, where they where co-hosts together with Austria.

Women's national football team

Main article: Switzerland women's national football team

The women's team debuted on 4 May 1972 against France in a match that ended 2-2 in Basel, and has qualified for the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup and UEFA Women's Euro 2017.

Women's football

The Swiss women's football championship is divided into 5 levels.[8] Nationalliga A is the highest professional level, followed by National League B. The third division consists of the First League, divided into three groups.


Bibliography

See also

References

  1. ^ "Switzerland's unlikely World Cup heroes". BBC News. 1 July 2014.
  2. ^ "CIES: Publication of the first Swiss Football Study". Cies.ch. Retrieved 18 January 2014.
  3. ^ Moore, Glenn (4 June 2011). "Hitzfeld puts trust in cosmopolitan youth to revive struggling Swiss - World Cup 2014 - Football". London: The Independent. Retrieved 15 November 2013.
  4. ^ Renat Kuenzi (14 October 2013). "2014 World Cup : Brazilian sun shines on Swiss football". swissinfo.ch. Retrieved 15 November 2013.
  5. ^ "When Saturday Comes - A bright future for Switzerland?". Wsc.co.uk. 20 November 2009. Retrieved 18 January 2014.
  6. ^ "Football season puts focus on grassroots level". swissinfo.ch. 19 July 2006. Retrieved 18 January 2014.
  7. ^ Amy Lawrence. "Switzerland put faith in youthful blend | Football | The Observer". Theguardian.com. Retrieved 15 November 2013.
  8. ^ "50 years of women's football in Switzerland". Swiss National Museum - Swiss history blog. 13 September 2018.
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