Switzerland are just one of the 24 teams taking part at the Euros 2024 in Germany. Here’s everything you need to know about the team who prove there’s more to the country than breathtaking scenery and delicious mountain-shaped chocolate!

1. They played their first game in 1905

Switzerland’s international football journey began in 1905 when they played France in Paris. They lost 1-0! Over the years they’ve joined FIFA and are currently ranked at 19, so their inaugural game was a mere blip.

2. There’s a dad joke you can make about their flag and badge

Switzerland’s flag is a white cross on a red background and has been incorporated into a simple badge design. It looks great on a football shirt, which is a big plus. BIG PLUS! Get it?

3. They play their home games all over Switzerland

The Swiss team play their home fixtures at the countries biggest stadiums. The biggest grounds are FC Basel’s St. Jakob-Park (38,512) and BSC Young Boys’ Stade de Suisse in Bern (31,783).

4. Their captain is Granit Xhaka

Xhaka is a midfielder for Bayer Leverkusen and made his international debut against England in 2011, as part of a World Cup qualifier at Wembley. Due to his Albanian heritage, he was allowed to play for Albania but complained that their football association were ignoring him, so picked Switzerland instead.

5. Alexander Frei is the team’s highest goal scorer

Alex Frei made 84 appearances for Switzerland and scored 42 times! He began and ended his senior career at Bern, representing teams like Servette, Rennes, and Borussia Dortmund along the way.

6. They’ve got a few nicknames

The Swiss side are known as the A-Team, Nati (National Team) Rossocrociati (which means Red Crosses, even though their flag has a white cross). We prefer the A-Team as it’s like the classic 80s TV action show, about a gang of ex-soldiers who drove around in a blam van. Ask your parents!

7. Switzerland have enjoyed some big wins

Switzerland’s biggest ever victory took place in France on May 25, 1924. They beat Lithuania 9–0 in what must have been an awful game for the Lithuanian fans! Good job Switzerland have never lost a game like that…

8. They’ve also suffered some embarrassing defeats

In fact, they’ve been thumped 9-0 on two separate occasions. The first time was in a 1909 home game against England and away to Hungary three years later. Ouch!

9. The Swiss women’s team didn’t play in their first tournament until 2015

The Swiss women’s national team played their first game in the early 70s, but it wasn’t until years later that they took part in a major tournament. In 2015, they qualified for the World Cup in Canada, and have since took part in the Euros in 2017 and 2022! Most recently, they participated in the 2023 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand. Captain Lia Wälti (pictured) also plays for Arsenal in the WSL!

10. They share a rivalry with Serbia

This is a little complicated but even though Serbia is miles away from Switzerland, many families from Kosovo and Albania sought refuge in Switzerland during a war in 1998 when the former Yugoslavia invaded Kosovo. Xhaka and Xherdan Shaqiri both have Kosovo-Albanian heritage and scored in a 2018 World Cup game. Let’s just say the game was packed with emotion.

11. Their manager is Murat Yakin

Murat Yakin is a former Swiss international who made 49 appearances for his country. He was appointed manager in 2021 after managing the likes of Spartak Moscow, Grasshoppers and Schaffhausen.

12. Their most-capped player is Granit Xhaka

Here’s another Granit Xhaka fact! The former Arsenal midfielder has won the most caps for Switzerland, and has earned 129 caps so far!

13. Their fastest goal took less than a minute

In a 2022 UEFA Nations League match against Portugal, Haris Seferović put the Swiss team into the lead in just 57 seconds! They won 1-0 before a Geneva crowd.

14. They’ve made 12 appearances in the World Cup

Switzerland appeared at the 1934 World Cup in Italy, which was the second-ever global tournament. While they’ve not won the ultimate football trophy, they’ve been quarter-finalists in 1934, 1938 and 1954.

15. They once won silver at the Olympics

They’ve also won medals at the Olympics in 1924. Their dreams of winning gold were shattered by Uruguay, who won the final by 3 goals to 0.