The Swiss men’s team traveled to Portugal with a mixture of experience and a breath of fresh air. Six players played in their first European Championship tournament with the senior national team, while the squad also included five U21 players, who immediately integrated seamlessly into the team.

The draw resulted in an extremely strong group with the top nations Wales and Scotland. Switzerland put in impressive performances against both teams: a 1:3 against Wales and a very close 3:4 against Scotland. Between these encounters, the team fell short of its own expectations against Croatia (3:3). However, the team showed morale and played their way back into the tournament. Switzerland took a 2:0 lead against the Czech Republic, but had to concede an equalizer in the last second through a penalty corner (2:2). In the final group game against hosts Portugal, the team was 3:0 down early on, but showed enormous mental strength, fought back and turned the game around two minutes before the end for a spectacular 6:5 victory.

In addition to the sporting achievements, the excellent accommodation in Lousada also offered the players ideal conditions – a place where the team was able to spend a lot of time together. This close bond was palpable and formed an important cornerstone for the Swiss men’s performance.

Head coach Jaïr Levie and his staff worked intensively on a new identity for the Swiss men’s team: Under the name “Helvetic Bears”, the team will in future appear with a clear profile and a strengthened self-image. Even though the tournament ended in sixth place, an important foundation has been laid. The project has been launched – and the seeds have been sown for the national team’s next successful steps.

With Jorge Nolte as their new head coach, the Swiss women started their first European Championship tournament in the B Division after last year’s promotion. The goal: to write the next success story. And that’s exactly what they did in impressive style.

The Swiss women achieved a historic 4th place and secured a ticket to the tournament. A narrow 1-0 defeat against Wales was followed by a convincing 4-0 win over Lithuania and a strong 1-1 draw against the Czech Republic. The team then progressed to the semi-finals, where they lost 3-0 to Italy. In the bronze medal match against Austria, Switzerland held the lead for a long time but had to concede an equalizer two minutes before the end. The Austrians had the luckier end in the shootout.

Despite missing out on a medal, pride prevailed: the Swiss women proved that they can compete at this level and have qualified for the next international challenge. This was particularly remarkable in view of the setbacks during the tournament: Leo Berlie’s withdrawal at short notice and Tamara Trösch’s injury forced the team to make quick adjustments. All the more valuable was the short-term deployment of Ria Müller, who was able to support the team in Poland.