The report says Switzerland spent the past month at San Diego Jewish Academy in Carmel Valley, prioritising one feature above all others: the playing surface.
The school adapted its campus for an international team. An unused softball field was converted into additional grass training space, while a covered outdoor gym was built over a baseball diamond. A meeting room was also transformed into a media centre.
For Switzerland, the attraction was not glamour. It was control. A reliable pitch allows a squad to maintain its preferred training rhythm, sharpen technical work and reduce the disruption that often comes with a tournament played across several cities.
The school’s facilities reportedly impressed both players and staff, with the federation satisfied by the equipment, gym and wider setup. The campus has also built a reputation as a destination for high-level teams, having hosted international sides and leading clubs over the years.
There was one unexpected distraction. A federation post referred to the vegetation near the pitch as an “área de cobras” - a “snake area” - in a joke about local rattlesnakes. The message travelled widely, prompting communications adviser Sergio Affuso to say: “Na Suíça, as pessoas entenderam a piada. Mas, talvez, fora de lá, não.”
On the field, the report says Switzerland recovered from an uneven start, secured important victories and finished top of its group. The next challenge is Algeria in Vancouver, where the benefits of a calm, tailored preparation base will face their first knockout-stage test.
If Switzerland advances, its San Diego stay could become one of the tournament’s more revealing stories: proof that the best preparation environment is not always found inside a grand stadium, but sometimes on a carefully maintained school field.