The Switzerland national team has a tight Kansas City connection
Raphael Wicky is sitting in his childhood home in Switzerland, then maybe 8 years old, his eyes fixated on something on TV that would capture his attention for the next four decades.
He’s 49 now, the head coach of Sporting Kansas City, but for the moment he is thinking back to one of his earliest memories — or at least the most vivid early memory.
That boy in Switzerland.
That TV.
On the screen was the 1986 World Cup in Mexico, a match featuring Argentina star Diego Maradona. The place was going bonkers.
“I knew,” he said Wednesday, “I wanted to become a footballer and play in the World Cup.”
He was blissfully unaware of the obstacle: Switzerland hadn’t qualified for the World Cup in two decades, a streak that would extend another eight years.
That 8-year-old kid didn’t grow up to break the drought — but he grew to be part of a group that began a new streak. Wicky represented his home country in the 2006 World Cup in Germany — their first in 12 years and second in 40 years.
Switzerland is a regular now. They’ve qualified for every World Cup since.
But this is new: Switzerland will face defending champion Argentina and Lionel Messi on Saturday in a World Cup quarterfinal match, the country’s first quarterfinal appearance since 1954.
As a happy twist of fate, they’re coming to Wicky’s town: The match will be played at 8 p.m. Saturday at Arrowhead Stadium, or the venue FIFA is terming Kansas City Stadium.
It’s the first of its kind for Kansas City and the last of the six World Cup matches here during the tournament.
“It’s a huge achievement for a small country like we are,” Wicky said. “It’s been beautiful to see.”
He’s not exactly an outsider. Wicky, who made 75 international appearances for Switzerland, served as more than a foundation for the generation of players that followed him.
He’s tied to the current team, too. Wicky has coached 10 players on this Switzerland team in the World Cup — the one that arrives in Kansas City this week for the biggest soccer match in its country’s history.
That list, and a hat tip to Sporting Kansas City’s Kurt Austin for the research assist: Cedric Itten, Eray Comert, Fabian Rieder, Aurele Amenda, Christian Fassnacht, Manuel Akanji, Breel Embolo, Marvin Keller, Silvan Widmer and Noah Okafor.
Wicky coached Embolo, a 29-year-old forward with two goals and two assists during this tournament alone, when he was a teenager. Oh, and he played alongside Murat Yakin, now the head coach of Switzerland, in 33 national team matches.
He’s a tad more invested, in other words, than the typical former player.
“It’s been great to see their development,” he said. “I’ve been in their shoes. I know what it means for them. I’m just happy for them.”
It’s offered a time to reflect on his coaching career.
But mostly his career as a player.
Switzerland had been building toward that 2006 World Cup breakthrough for a while, Wicky felt. They reached the Euros two years earlier. He was a full-time starter ahead of the World Cup, and, more than anything else, felt immense relief he stayed healthy in the lead up.
That World Cup was played in Germany, where Wicky was playing professionally at the time for Hamburger SV.
Switzerland did not allow a goal in the tournament — they were eliminated in penalty kicks after a 0-0 draw against Ukraine. They didn’t score in the shootout, either. That still stings, even if Wicky wasn’t one of the three to attempt a penalty. Switzerland is the only men’s team to leave the World Cup without conceding a single goal.
That run began with a 0-0 draw against France, a team captained by Zinedine Zidane and led by Thierry Henry.
The next time they stepped onto the field, for a 2-0 win against Togo, there were 65,000 people in the stands.
“We don’t have a stadium that collects (that many) people, so we’d never played in front of that many fans before,” Wicky said.
There will be even more in the stands Saturday.
This isn’t just a first for little old Kansas City — hosting a World Cup quarterfinal.
There are elements of this match that are a first for the underdog team in the match — or at least the first of its kind in roughly 75 years. There’s a connection in that way. Wicky says he’s encountered a lot of similarities between his home country and his new home city. The welcoming nature will be a neat fit in Kansas City this weekend, he surmises.
But nothing is a more prevailing connection than the one he shares now.
He’s worn the uniform.
He’s played at this level.
He’s coached those on the team.
And the culmination has led all parties involved to Kansas City.
This story was originally published July 9, 2026 at 6:30 AM with the headline "The Switzerland national team has a tight Kansas City connection."