Switzerland head to the FIFA World Cup 2022 will plenty of tournament knockout pedigree and aiming to reach the last eight for the first time in 68 years.

They have an experienced squad with the likes of Arsenal’s Granit Xhaka, Manchester City defender Manuel Akanji and former Liverpool forward Xherdan Shaqiri complemented by exciting young talent such as Breel Embolo and Noah Okafor, who scored at Stamford Bridge for RB Salzburg earlier this season.

Murat Yakin, their manager at the tournament, played for the national team as a defender and guided Basel to victories over Chelsea in the Champions League in 2013/14.

Which Chelsea players do Switzerland have?

Denis Zakaria, on loan at Stamford Bridge this season from Juventus, has over 40 Swiss caps to his name and the 25-year-old will be looking to make another strong impression in his fourth major international tournament.

The Geneva-born midfielder made his national team debut in May 2016 and has become a valued squad member for Murat Yakin’s side, who have reached the knockout stage at each of their past two World Cup tournaments.

Zakaria featured in all but one of Switzerland’s eight qualifiers for Qatar 2022, starting the campaign as a substitute but finishing as a starter. He was also involved at the delayed Euro 2020 tournament as the Rossocrociati reached the quarter-finals, though it was Zakaria’s unfortunate own goal against Spain that took the tie to a penalty shootout which Switzerland lost 3-1.

Who else is in Switzerland's squad?

Goalkeepers: Yann Sommer (Borrusia Monchengladbach), Gregor Kobel (Borussia Dortmund), Philipp Kohn (RB Salzburg), Jonas Omlin (Montpellier)

Defenders: Manuel Akanji (Man City), Eray Comert (Valencia), Nico Elvedi (Borussia Monchengladbach), Ricardo Rodriguez (Torino), Fabian Schar (Newcastle), Sylvan Widmer (Mainz)

Midfielders: Michel Aebischer (Bologna), Edimilson Fernandes (Mainz), Fabian Frei (Basel), Remo Freuler (Nottingham Forest), Ardon Jashari (Luzern), Noah Okafor (RB Salzburg), Fabian Rieder (Young Boys), Xherdan Shaqiri (Chicago Fire), Djibril Sow (Eintracht Frankfurt), Renato Steffen (Lugano), Granit Xhaka (Arsenal), Denis Zakaria (Chelsea)

Forwards: Breel Embolo (Monaco), Christian Fassnacht (Young Boys), Haris Seferovic (Galatasary), Reuben Vargas (Augsburg)

What teams are in Switzerland's group?

Switzerland, currently ranked as the 15th-best team in the world by FIFA, will be joined by the highest-ranked side and bookies’ favourites Brazil in Group G, as well as Cameroon and Serbia.

Coincidentally, they faced Brazil and Serbia in the group stage of the 2018 World Cup in Russia, drawing 1-1 against a Samba side featuring Thiago Silva and Willian before beating Serbia 2-1. They were eventually knocked out in the last-16 by Sweden.

Cameroon will be just the second African opponent that Switzerland have faced in their 12 World Cup appearances, the previous contest coming against Togo in the 2006 edition.

When are Switzerland's fixtures?

• Switzerland v Cameroon, Al Wakrah, 24 November, 10am (UK)

• Brazil v Switzerland, Doha, 28 November, 4pm (UK)

• Serbia v Switzerland, Doha, 2 December, 7pm (UK)

How did Switzerland qualify?

Impressively, as they edged European champions Italy to top their UEFA qualifying group by two points last winter. That featured two draws with Roberto Mancini’s men, who missed out on Qatar 2022 entirely after losing to North Macedonia in the play-offs.

Switzerland were unbeaten in World Cup qualifying, with Zakaria featuring in all but one of their eight matches. The midfielder’s only absence came away against Lithuania due to suspension after picking up two bookings.

The Swiss picked up 10 out of 12 points at home and sealed top spot with a comprehensive 4-0 victory over Bulgaria last November. Their fate might have been different had Jorginho converted a last-minute penalty when the two sides met in Rome.

What is Switzerland's World Cup history?

Qatar 2022 will be Switzerland’s 12th appearance at a World Cup finals and their fourth in a row, their first coming way back in 1934. They have been quarter-finalists on three occasions but not since 1954 and have advanced from the group stage in three of the past four tournaments they have been involved in.

They may have only won once at the 2018 tournament but their recent record includes a memorable victory over Spain in 2010 and a 1-1 draw with Brazil eight years later.