On Friday and Tuesday evening, the Swiss women's national football team will play the last matches of the first World Cup qualifying phase. Wins against Malta and Northern Ireland are a must.
04.06.2026, 05:01
04.06.2026, 07:23
SDA
It's an important match for the Swiss women's national team on Friday. Coach Rafel Navarro's team will face Malta in Lugano. As world number 25, a win against the visitors, who are ranked 66 places lower, is a must. Three points must also be the goal against Northern Ireland on Tuesday. "We want to win the group," says Alayah Pilgrim.
A win on Friday would not only secure promotion back to League A of the Nations League, but also top spot in the group. This would make the rest of the World Cup qualifying process comparatively easy, at least in the first stage.
A rocky road to the World Cup
Only the four group winners of League A will receive a direct ticket. All other countries must qualify via two play-off rounds. In the first, which takes place in October, Switzerland, as the group winner, would face a second or third-placed team from League B. In other words, teams that tend to be weaker than Switzerland.
If Turkey overtakes Switzerland - the Turks are currently three points behind - the path will already become more difficult in the first play-off round. Captain Lia Wälti's team will then face either one of the four fourth-placed teams in League A or a League B group winner.
The winners of the first play-off round will meet in the second play-off round. It is therefore very likely that Switzerland - group winners or not - will have to assert themselves against a top nation by then at the latest. After these matches, Switzerland might even have intercontinental play-offs to look forward to.
New stadium to be opened
But Ana-Maria Crnogorcevic does not want to look that far into the future two days before the game against Malta - even though she makes no secret of her desire to qualify for the World Cup with Switzerland. "The goal now is six points. Then we'll see what the draw brings and which opponents we might face," said the record-breaking international at a media event.
For now, however, the focus is on the match in Ticino, where the Swiss will be able to open the new stadium in Lugano. A "great honor", as Crnogorcevic says. Riola Xhemaili shares this opinion: "I think it's great that we as the women's national team are allowed to open the stadium. I hope there will be a lot of people who come to the game."
And according to Xhemaili, the players are also looking forward to the game - because it is rarely played in Lugano. According to the Swiss Football Association, it has been 20 years since the national team last played in Ticino.
