Switzerland face Scotland away from home on Tuesday. The test match could be Pia Sundhage's last as Switzerland's national coach.
28.10.2025, 05:00
28.10.2025, 06:36
SDA
Eight degrees, wind and a 50 percent chance of precipitation. That's the weather forecast for Dunfermline, Scotland, where the national team will play an away match on Tuesday evening. "I think we'll play on a par with the team," says captain Lia Wälti, "but Scotland always make it difficult."
She came for the home European Championships
In nasty conditions, coach Pia Sundhage could be playing her last game with Switzerland. Her contract expires at the end of the year, but the decision on whether she will stay on could be made before the end of November, when the last meeting of the year takes place. For the Swede, it's all about making her case one last time, having already made her mark in Friday's 1-0 win over Canada.
It is a development that nobody would have expected just a few months ago. After all, when Pia Sundhage signed the contract to coach the Swiss national team in mid-January 2024, her task was clear: to prepare the team for the home European Championships in the summer of 2025. "We are convinced that her immense experience with various big nations and names will also drive development in Switzerland forward," said Marion Daube at the time. This experience as a coach includes two Olympic gold medals with the USA and being named FIFA World Coach.
Sundhage then achieved something historic by qualifying Switzerland for the quarter-finals of the home tournament, the first time the national team had qualified for the European Championship quarter-finals. This success was probably also the reason why Sundhage and the association suddenly began to toy with the idea of extending her contract, which was due to expire at the end of the year. Marion Daube said after the defeat to Spain: "Everything is possible and open in all directions."
Sundhage has one demand
At the squad announcement for the current squad, Sundhage himself spoke for the first time: "I said that I would be happy to continue, provided I get a full-time assistant to get the best out of me."
It is not yet clear whether the association will be able to meet these demands. The test match against Canada last Friday could therefore have been Sundhage's last home game. When asked about this, the coach seems wistful. "I am very happy. The result is perfect."
Then she becomes clearer than ever before: "If you look at this team, the young players, you can see that it will be a very good team. I would love to continue here."
"We focus on football"
And what about the players? Sundhage didn't always seem to be the most popular coach. Before the start of the European Championships, accusations were made by players who told Blick that the training sessions were too intensive and that Sundhage was too strict. The coach herself denied the accusations, but during the European Championships everyone repeatedly cited the good atmosphere in the team as a recipe for success. Alisha Lehmann confirmed this when she said around a week ago: "The good atmosphere during the tournament was thanks to everyone, including the coaching team."
However, when asked directly about Sundhage's expiring contract, the players are more reserved. "It's not an issue in the team. We're focusing on football and have nothing to do with this decision," explained defender Viola Calligaris.
Captain Lia Wälti was similarly diplomatic: "What counts for us is the here and now. We prepare for every game with the coaches we have. We can't influence anything else, that's the decision of the association and Pia."
A decision made by the association and Sundhage. Now that the latter's opinion is already publicly known, all that is missing is a response from the association. Perhaps Sundhage will indeed become the coach who leads Switzerland through the difficult qualification process for the 2027 World Cup in Brazil. For Sundhage, it would be a return to a country that she also once coached.
