England's World Cup opponents: Switzerland in profile

Head coach: Murat Yakin

Last meeting: England 1-1 Switzerland, 7 July 2024

For the second major tournament in a row, England will meet Switzerland in the knockout stages - this time for a place in the final.

They last met in the quarter-final at the 2024 UEFA European Championship, which resulted in a 1-1 draw after 120 minutes, with goals from Breel Embolo and Bukayo Saka in normal time.

The Three Lions booked their spot in the semi-final after victory on penalties two years ago, the same way Switzerland did this summer after beating Colombia in a shoot-out.

This is the furthest the Swiss have ever gone at the World Cup, after three quarter-final appearances in 1934, 1938 and 1954.

England have played Switzerland 28 times since their first meeting all the way back in 1933, with the Three Lions winning 20 times (twice on penalties), drawing five times and losing three.

Of those 28 meetings, one came at the World Cup in 1954, the Euros three times and once in the UEFA Nations League. All of their other meetings have come in friendlies and qualifiers.

The head coach

Murat Yakin has been in charge of Switzerland since 2021, taking over after a successful spell with several Swiss clubs.

The 51 year old former defender represented Switzerland 49 times during his playing career and played in the 2004 and 2008 Euros. As a manager, he won back-to-back league titles with Basel in 2013 and 2014.

Yakin has continued Switzerland’s reputation as a difficult side to break down and guided the team to the round of 16 at the last World Cup and the quarter-finals at the last Euros - where they lost to England.

He usually favours a four-man defence, but sometimes opts for a back three depending on the opposition’s strengths. As for Switzerland, their strengths are being disciplined out of possession and dangerous on the counter-attack.

Key players to watch

Switzerland are led by their captain Granit Xhaka, the 33-year-old veteran who is the heartbeat of the Swiss midfield.

As the former Arsenal and current Sunderland captain, Xhaka brings leadership and experience to the side and remains a key figure at both domestic and international level.

His ability to control the tempo, dictate play and threaten from set-pieces makes him one of Switzerland’s most important players.

A key figure in Switzerland’s back line, Inter Milan defender Manuel Akanji brings both composure and pace to the table.

The ex-Manchester City centre-back has established himself as one of the team’s most valuable players, with his ability to defend one-on-one, read the game and play out from the back.

Breel Embolo has been Switzerland’s danger man for the last decade at major international tournaments and has racked up seven goals across the World Cup and Euros.

He has scored twice this summer, finding the net in a 1-1 draw with Qatar and in a 2-0 win over Algeria in the round of 32.

Recent results

Switzerland moved into the quarter-finals thanks to a penalty shoot-out victory over Colombia following a 0-0 draw.

Before that, they kept a clean sheet as they overcame Algeria in the round of 32.

Switzerland kicked things off in the group stages with a draw against Qatar, before beating Bosnia and Herzegovina and Canada to top Group B with seven points.

Switzerland’s World Cup squad

Goalkeepers: Gregor Kobel (Borussia Dortmund), Yvon Mvogo (FC Lorient), Marvin Keller (Young Boys)

Defenders: Manuel Akanji (Internazionale), Nico Elvedi (Borussia Monchengladbach), Ricardo Rodriguez (Real Betis), Silvan Widmer (1. FSV Mainz 05), Miro Muheim (Hamburg), Aurele Amenda (Eintracht Frankfurt), Eray Comert (Valencia CF), Luca Jaquez (VfB Stuttgart)

Midfielders: Granit Xhaka (Sunderland), Johan Manzambi (SC Freiburg), Remo Freuler (Bologna), Denis Zakaria (AS Monaco), Ardon Jashari (AC Milan), Djibril Sow (Sevilla FC), Christian Fassnacht (Young Boys), Michel Aebischer (Pisa), Fabian Rieder (FC Augsburg), Ruben Vargas (Sevilla FC)

Forwards: Breel Embolo (Stade Rennais), Noah Okafor (Leeds United), Dan Ndoye (Nottingham Forest), Zeki Amdouni (Burnley), Cedric Itten (Fortuna Dusseldorf)