Switzerland may not have the best team in the world, but their flag’s a big plus

The old line is impossible to resist.

Switzerland may not have the best team in the world... but their flag’s a big plus.

It’s one of those jokes that has survived for years because it’s so gloriously daft. The Swiss flag, unlike almost every other national flag, is square rather than rectangular, and its famous white cross is, well, literally a plus sign. Cue the groans.

The punchline has probably appeared in every pub quiz, dad joke collection and football WhatsApp group going. Now it’s back for another outing as Murat Yakin’s side prepare for arguably their biggest match in more than 70 years: a World Cup quarterfinal against Argentina in Kansas City.

How have Switzerland made it to the quarterfinals?

The joke also hides an inconvenient truth for Lionel Messi and company. Switzerland rarely arrive with the tournament’s biggest stars or the flashiest football, but they have an annoying habit of hanging around far longer than expected.

That has certainly been the case this summer. The Swiss edged past Algeria in the Round of 32 before producing perhaps their most Swiss performance imaginable: 120 minutes of disciplined defending and a penalty shootout win over Colombia after a goalless draw. It wasn’t glamorous, but nobody in Switzerland will care.

Now comes the ultimate test.

Argentina remain favorites, led by a seemingly ageless Messi, but they haven’t exactly cruised through the knockout rounds either. They needed dramatic comebacks against both Cape Verde and Egypt to reach the last eight, showing they’re far from untouchable.

So yes, Switzerland may not have the best team in the world. They may not have the loudest supporters, the biggest names or the most spectacular style either.

But they’ve got a famous flag, a timeless joke... and, if Argentina aren’t careful, they might just leave Kansas City with something even bigger: a place in the World Cup semifinals against England.

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