Nickname: Schweizer Nati
Manager: Ottmar Hitzfeld
PreviousWorld Cup appearances: 8
Best finish: Quarter-finals (1934, 1938, 1954)
Key players:
Phillipp Senderos
Hakan Yakin
Alexander Frei
Switzerland made an unwanted piece of World Cup history during their campaign at the 2006 World Cup: they became the only team in the rich history of "the greatest show on earth" to be knocked out despite not conceding a single goal.
A goalless draw against France was followed by encouraging 2-0 victories over Togo and South Korea, only for the Swiss to fail to score a single spot-kick in their second-round penalty shoot-out defeat by Ukraine, following a goalless 120 minutes of action.
Ottmar Hitzfeld, occasional nemesis of Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson a few years back when at the reins of Bayern Munich, is the brains behind the team and his managerial nous will be an indispensable weapon for the Swiss.
Switzerland edged out Greece in their qualifying group, sealing first place with a 0-0 draw against Israel. But it wasn't all plain sailing: they somehow managed to lose to minnows Luxembourg on home turf. Latvia ended up third in their group with Israel fourth and Luxembourg and Moldova bringing up the rear.
Fans of British football will remember left-sided midfielder & defender Reto Ziegler from his three years with Tottenham Hotspur - Senderos too is well known for his efforts with Arsenal at home and in Europe - while the skilful, goal-scoring Alexander Frei, having played in Switzerland, France and Germany is a well-known name in European football.
Hakan Yakin is the creative lynchpin of the midfield - now in his early 30s, his awareness, range of passing, set pieces and ability to beat a man have been useful assets for Switzerland over the years.
Gelson Fernandes - born in Cape Verde, formerly of Manchester City and now playing for St Etienne - was hailed as "the best young player in Switzerland" by Sven-Goran Eriksson when he signed for the Premier League club in 2007.
Meanwhile, Johan Vonlanthen was born in Colombia, and boasts the record of being the youngester player ever to score at a European Championship finals - he netted an equaliser against France at the age of 18 - and thus beat a record which had been set up England's Wayne Rooney just days earlier during the same tournament.
While they won't be expected to set the tournament alight, with Hitzfeld's expertise in guiding the team, and a crop of more than capable players at international level, Switzerland will have designs on the second round no matter who they find themselves up against in South Africa in 2010.
