Switzerland's population may only stand at eight million people but the national team has already reached the quarter-finals at a FIFA World Cupâ„¢ on three occasions. They did so most recently on home turf in 1954, and for years La Nati have dreamt of progressing that far again at a major tournament. FIFA.com outlines six reasons why they can do so at Russia 2018.
1. Best-ever qualifying campaign
While Switzerland only punched their ticket to the finals via the play-offs, in which they beat Northern Ireland 1-0 away and drew 0-0 at home, their qualifying campaign to get there was almost flawless. After starting with a 2-0 victory over reigning European champions Portugal, Switzerland won their subsequent eight matches before a 2-0 reverse to the Iberians in their final fixture forced them into the play-offs due to an inferior goal difference.