Why are Switzerland sometimes called ‘SUI’ on the TV scoreboard? | Football

Switzerland will be looking to maintain their perfect start to Euro 2024 when they take on Scotland in their second group stage game this evening.

Murat Yakin’s men opened their campaign with a 3-1 victory over Hungary, and a win over the Scots in Cologne tonight will all but seal their spot in the Round of 16.

But while their qualification permutations are rather straightforward, for a number of people at least, the reason why they are called SUI on the TV scoreboard is rather less clear.

Here’s everything you need to know.

Why is Switzerland called SUI on the scoreboard at Euro 2024?

French is one of the four official languages of Switzerland, with Italian, German and Romanish being the others.

In French, Switzerland is called ‘Suisse’, hence the abbreviation SUI on the scoreboard.

Given French is the main language for both FIFA and Switzerland, Suisse is the name which is used in the Swiss Football Federation’s documents.

It is not only in football where Switzerland is referred to as SUI, however.

The Swiss Olympic team are abbreviated as SUI, with the three letters appearing on TV graphics and athlete outfits and equipment.

What is Switzerland’s record at the Euros?

Euro 2024 is the sixth time that Switzerland has appeared at the European Championships.

It took until 1996 for the Swiss to finally qualify for the Euros, with their first appearance in UEFA’s premier competition culminating in a group stage exit.

Euro 2004 and Euro 2008 also saw Switzerland crash out at the group stage, with the latter seeing the country co-hosting the tournament alongside Austria.

Euro 2016 and Euro 2020 were more successful, with the team reaching the Round of 16 and quarter-finals respectively.

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