Switzerland and Germany meet in an international friendly on Friday as both European teams continue their preparations for the 2026 World Cup.
Both Murat Yakin and Julian Nagelsmann will be looking to fine‑tune systems and assess squad depth ahead of a pivotal summer.
Switzerland vs Germany – Match preview and team news
- Date: Friday, 27th March.
- Kick-off: 7:45pm BST.
- Venue: St. Jakob-Park, Basel.
Switzerland team news
Switzerland head into their international friendly against Germany at St. Jakob-Park in Basel with a near full-strength squad, boosted by the timely returns of experienced midfielders Remo Freuler and Denis Zakaria from recent injury absences. Manager Murat Yakin can again lean on captain Granit Xhaka to anchor the side.
Yakin has still had to react to setbacks, calling up Noah Okafor after Filip Ugrinic withdrew injured, while midfielder Djibril Sow is also reportedly unavailable for this window. Okafor’s inclusion restores an extra attacking option, giving Switzerland added pace and penetration in the final third.
Looking ahead to the 2026 World Cup, Yakin has secured approval to use up to 11 substitutions against Germany, provided they are made across three in-game windows plus half-time. The “Nati” arrive in strong form, carrying an unbeaten run since late 2024 and a settled core built around Xhaka.
Germany team news
Germany are without several key players for the March internationals, including Jamal Musiala, Felix Nmecha and Aleksandar Pavlovic, among others.
They will also be missing goalkeeper Jonas Urbig, who withdrew from the squad on Thursday after suffering a capsular injury to his right knee, ruling him out of the friendlies against Switzerland and Ghana on Monday as a precaution.
Germany coach Julian Nagelsmann was unusually candid about his starting lineup for Friday’s friendly against Switzerland during his pre‑match press conference on Thursday.
At centre‑back, Nico Schlotterbeck and Jonathan Tah are set to start ahead of Antonio Rüdiger, who returns to the squad for the first time since September after recovering from a hamstring injury.
In midfield, with Aleksandar Pavlovic and Felix Nmecha sidelined through injury, Angelo Stiller will come into the side alongside Leon Goretzka.
Further forward, Kai Havertz will make his first Germany appearance since November 2024, having battled back from a long‑term injury lay‑off to regain full fitness.
Form
Switzerland
Switzerland are unbeaten since 2024 November and qualified for the World Cup after topping their own group remaining undefeated throughout the qualifying stages.
Their latest outing was a 1-1 draw against Kosovo. They are also unbeaten against Germany in their last three head-to-head matches, drawing all of them.
Germany
Germany comes into this friendly on a five‑match winning streak in World Cup qualifying, beating Slovakia 6–0, Luxembourg 2–0 and Northern Ireland 1–0, with four clean sheets in their last four competitive fixtures.
Predicted lineups
Switzerland: Kobel; Widmer, Elvedi, Akanji, Rodriguez; Aebischer, Xhaka; Vargas, Rieder, Ndoye; Embolo
Germany: Baumann; Kimmich, Tah, Schlotterbeck, Raum; Stiller, Goretzka; Sane, Gnabry, Wirtz; Havertz
How to watch Switzerland vs Germany?
UK viewers can watch Switzerland vs Germany live on free-to-air channel RTL, with a live stream available on RTL+.
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