Despite an obsession with detail and great euphoria, Switzerland loses its fifth World Championship final in Zurich. Was it one missed opportunity too many?
01.06.2026, 14:28
01.06.2026, 16:23
SDA
It was all set. After losing four World Cup finals, the Swiss seemed to be ready for the final step. In recent years, a setting with an enormous depth of detail had been created in which optimization possibilities were consistently sought after every tournament.
Benoit Pont, the national team's consultant and video coach, creates a profile of each player with their motor and personal preferences. This includes, for example, which visual preferences a player has and how these can be used specifically during a match. It also shows how a player can best be approached and communicated with. Roman Josi has been working with Pont privately for some time. He says of his approach: "It's about building on your own strengths rather than trying to become someone else."
Three years ago, the management also brought Stefan Schwitter onto the team as a performance coach. He not only optimizes the players' fitness, he also works with them on relaxation and on being able to focus on the essentials. He teaches the players to let go of their bodies, emotions and thoughts. "Because even positive emotions always lead to stress in the body and mind," the former professional wrestler explains to the Keystone-SDA agency.
A strong unit
Everything was done to take this final step. You could feel that the players were living in the moment. The team has grown together as a unit in recent years. It was no coincidence that the injured Kevin Fiala, Jonas Siegenthaler and Andrea Glauser supported their teammates on site. Patrick Fischer, who was sacked at the start of the World Cup preparations due to a falsified Covid certificate and had been in office since the end of 2015, managed to create a climate in which everyone was happy to come - or as Attilio Biasca casually put it: "We're such a cool squad."
Many players and staff members wanted to reverse Fischer's dismissal. It was not easy to come to terms with what had happened, but it brought the team even closer together and they were ready for the start of the tournament. The Swiss won all of their first nine games with a goal difference of 48:8. A symbiosis developed between team and fans, the euphoria in the country was boundless - as was the conviction that this time they would win their first World Cup title.
Oldest team at the World Cup
However, this expectation was perhaps precisely the problem. It was noticeable in the team: It seemed inhibited for a long time in the final, lacking the ease that had previously characterized it. Nevertheless, the game could just as easily have tipped in the hosts' favor. In extra time, Damien Riat (65) failed to score. On the other hand, it is no coincidence that the Swiss failed to score, as they had done in the World Cup finals of the two previous years. Simon Knak put it in a nutshell: "Maybe we need to take a little more risk in a final."
It is clear that the Swiss have missed a great opportunity - also because the prospects are not improving. Josi, the heart of the team and named MVP of a World Championship for the second time since 2013, is now 36 years old. He left his future in the national team open immediately after the disappointment, but it won't get any easier for him due to the heavy workload in the NHL, especially as captain of the Nashville Predators. Nino Niederreiter, who was the only player to play in all five World Championship final defeats, is 33 years old and recently had to undergo knee surgery. The outstanding goalie Leonardo Genoni is already 38 years old. With an average age of 29.6 years, the Swiss were the oldest team at the tournament.
It is therefore important that younger players step up. But this is precisely where the problem lies: there are currently no new Josis, Niederreiters, Nico Hischiers, Kevin Fialas or Timo Meiers in sight. In the last eight NHL drafts, only one Swiss player - Lian Bichsel (2022, No. 18) - has been taken in the first round. A year ago, Switzerland was relegated at the U18 World Championship - a clear warning signal. Nino Niederreiter expressed his concern about the future of ice hockey in Switzerland. After all, most of the current Swiss NHL players are in their prime and are likely to play in a few more World Championships.
Not everyone is pulling in the same direction
It is also positive that the association is investing part of the federal funds received in a two-year, specific development program for coaches. The aim is to strengthen not only the large clubs, but above all the smaller clubs on the periphery, so that talented players can be better trained there and the breadth of young talent grows.
Above all, however, it would be important for everyone to pull in the same direction. But instead, the National League and the association are fighting each other. The league is booming and is primarily looking out for itself; there are even said to be plans for a separate U23 league. This would further weaken the already ailing Swiss League.
The immediate departure of President Urs Kessler, who had only been in office since last year, shows that not everything is running smoothly within the association either. He speaks of "ongoing discussions and a fresh start, which the association urgently needs". That is a profound statement.
The third World Championship silver medal in a row also marks the end of Lars Weibel's time as national team director. The 52-year-old took over the role after the 2019 World Championships and will work as Head of Sport at Ambri-Piotta in future. Weibel repeatedly faced headwinds, but consistently stuck to his chosen path and laid a solid foundation. His successor, long-time player Patrick von Gunten, can now benefit from this. National coach Jan Cadieux has also proven that he can follow in Patrick Fischer's big footsteps. The way he mastered the difficult situation deserves great recognition and gives hope that the final step will still be successful. Next year, the World Cup will take place in Germany.
