The draw for 2018 football World Cup in Russia has pitted Switzerland against Brazil, Costa Rica and Serbia in the opening round. These three teams will face a multicultural opponent.
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At the last big football tournament, the European Championship in 2016, the Swiss and French teams contained the highest proportion of players with a migrant background. Most of the Swiss players who were called up then are still playing in the national team. The coach is also the same, Vladimir Petkovic.
This is the eleventh time that Switzerland has participated in the World Cup finals, but no team has ever got past the quarter-final stage. Switzerland has reached the last eight on three occasions, but these successes date back more than half a century. At the last World Cup (2014 in Brazil) Switzerland lost to Argentina in the last-16 round.
Switzerland’s opening matches in the 2018 World Cup in Russia:
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Switzerland qualify for World Cup finals
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Switzerland were grateful for Ricardo Rodriguez clearing the ball off his own goal line in the 91st minute after his side failed to take advantage of several opportunities in wet and slippery conditions. Switzerland’s opponents in the opening stages of the World Cup will be announced on December 1 in Moscow. “In all honesty, nobody…
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If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.