Swiss national team bids farewell with special action

"Where it all begins" is written on an oversized curtain at the airport hotel. When it falls, an 18-metre-high national team jersey appears. It is adorned with handwritten wishes from the fans and is intended to help the team achieve its goal of playing the best World Cup of any Swiss national team.

National team director Pierluigi Tami expresses his thanks for the gift from main sponsor UBS. It is impressive to see how many people are backing the team. National coach Murat Yakin also says: "The anticipation is huge." This is despite the twelve-hour flight to Los Angeles that the team is facing. From there, the delegation will travel a further two hours by bus to San Diego, where they will set up base camp.

The national coach plans to pass the time on the plane with "two or three films". Among other things, the 51-year-old has downloaded the documentary "The Bus: The Revolt of Les Bleus". It is about France's failed campaign at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. In a way, it's an example of how not to do it. And if he gets the urge for music, he will ask his players for an Afro-beats playlist, explains Yakin, who exudes a great deal of composure before his departure.

This calmness is based on his team's strong performances in the run-up to the World Cup. The week of preparation in St. Gallen was also completed successfully: Switzerland won the test match against Jordan 4:1 on Sunday and now the real World Cup adventure can begin.

The early departure, eleven days before the first group match against Qatar, was deliberately scheduled. The players should have enough time to get over the jet lag and get used to the local conditions. Compared to Switzerland, the time difference on the North American west coast is nine hours.