After a dream start to qualifying, the Swiss national team will be looking to take the next step towards the 2026 World Cup in the coming days. Theoretically, Switzerland could even secure their World Cup ticket now.
Two games, two wins and a goal difference of 7:0: the Swiss national team could not have made a better start to the World Cup qualifiers. After the successful start with the 4-0 win against Kosovo and the 3-0 win against Slovenia, Murat Yakin's team now face the two most difficult tasks in this qualifying campaign: the away games in Sweden (Friday) and Slovenia (Monday).
In the best-case scenario, Switzerland will seal the deal now. However, they would have to pick up three points in both games and hope that their closest rivals Kosovo do not win either of their games against Slovenia and Sweden. A difficult, albeit not unlikely, scenario.
"It would be nice if we could wrap up qualification now," said defender Nico Elvedi on Wednesday. Nati director Pierluigi Tami says: "It would be a dream come true to make it now." But Tami also makes it clear that football doesn't work like that. "We have to stay focused and play smart. Sweden are under pressure and have to win."
The Swiss would probably also be satisfied with a point in Sweden. That would allow them to defend their five-point lead over their supposedly strongest group opponents and go into the final two qualifying matches with a big advantage. The Swedes will visit Geneva on November 15, followed by an away game against Kosovo on November 18.