| Boxwidth: | 250 |
| Football in Switzerland | |
| Union: | Swiss Football Association |
| Country: | Switzerland |
| Sport: | association football |
| Nationalteam: | men's national team |
| Club List: | |
| Intl List: | FIFA Club World Cup UEFA Champions League UEFA Women's Champions League UEFA Europa League UEFA Europa Conference League UEFA Super Cup |
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]
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 FIFA World Cup and, together with Austria, the UEFA Euro 2008.
The Swiss football pyramid is divided into nine levels. The top two levels are operated by the Swiss Football League. Between the sixth and ninth levels, the leagues are operated by regional football associations. All other levels are operated by the Swiss Football Association.
The Swiss women's football championship is divided into 6 levels.[9]
Clubs of the Swiss Super League may qualify for UEFA competitions. Switzerland is currently ranked 14th in the UEFA ranking. As such, five teams are eligible to compete in European competitions, two each in the UEFA Champions League qualifier and the UEFA Europa Conference League qualifier, and the winner of the Swiss Cup enters qualification for the UEFA Europa League.
No Swiss team has ever won any major European trophy.
Grasshopper Club Zürich is the only Swiss team to have won the UEFA Intertoto Cup, doing so twice in 2006 and 2008, while Basel were a runner-up in 2001, before the competition was discontinued in 2009. Prior to UEFA's involvement in the Intertoto Cup in 1995, multiple Swiss teams had emerged victorious.
| Competition | Best Placement | Club | Season |
|---|---|---|---|
| Champions League/European Cup | Semi-Final | FC Zurich | 1963-64 |
| FC Zurich | 1976-77 | ||
| Europa League/UEFA Cup | Semi-final | Basel | 2012–13 |
| Grasshopper | 1977–78 | ||
| Conference League | Semi-final | 2022–23 | |
| Cup Winners' Cup | Quarter-final | Grasshopper | 1989–90 |
| Zürich | 1973–74 | ||
| Luzern | 1960–61 |
See 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 were co-hosts together with Austria.
See 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.
Stadiums with a capacity of 20,000 or higher are included.