November 5 – Barcelona assistant Rafel Navarro has succeeded Pia Sundhage as the manager of Switzerland’s national women’s team.
Navarro (pictured) has signed a contract until 2029, the Swiss Football Association (SFV) confirmed on Tuesday, and will lead the Nati in qualifying on the road to the 2027 Women’s World Cup in Brazil.
Switzerland have been drawn in a World Cup qualification group with Northern Ireland, Turkey and Malta. They will be favoured to reach the playoffs.
“Switzerland has great potential. My goal is to develop it gradually, in collaboration with the players and staff members,” said Navarro in a statement. During Navarro’s time at Barcelona, the club won the Champions League three times and the Spanish League six times.
The SFV said that the composition of the backroom staff will be finalised soon.
“Rafel brings not only great expertise, but also an obvious passion for working with players and coaches. His way of encouraging people and building teams perfectly matches our vision, which is to advance Swiss women’s football as a whole. The goal will be to integrate him more and more directly into the work with young people,” said the SFV’s Marion Daube, director of women’s football.
On Monday, the Swiss FA released Pia Sundhage from her duties. The veteran Swedish manager had led Switzerland to the knockout stages of Euro 2025, the first time Switzerland have reached the knockout stages, but the Swiss FA rejected her demand to bring on board a full-time assistant. Following her release, Sundhage expressed her surprise at the SFV’s decision.
Contact the writer of this story at [email protected]