With a day left for the first kick of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, teams are busy with their final preparations. Making opponent-specific strategies and dealing with the heat is uppermost in most sides’ agenda, but as far as Switzerland are concerned, they have to be wary of a much deadlier threat – snakes. The Swiss have their base at San Diego’s Jewish Academy, but the adjoining area is infested by venomous reptiles, making training sometimes a scary proposition. According to swissinfo.ch, the players have been warned about the danger. Switzerland open their campaign against Qatar at San Francisco on Saturday (0030 hours Sunday, India time), and the snakes is a problem they may not have prepared for in the lead-up to the tournament. A ‘Snake Area’ has been duly marked on the map of their training facility. It’s a huge area around the training ground and is marked with dark red stripes and the words: ‘Beware of snakes.’ The players would not like to wander into the marked area to collect a ball or as a shortcut. The report quoted the San Diego Museum of Natural History as saying that there are four species of venomous snakes in the region – Southern Pacific rattlesnake, red diamond rattlesnake, southwestern speckled rattlesnake and Colorado Desert sidewinder. The county says they are mostly found in rural or canyon areas and when the weather warms up. Also Read | Why Norway and Scotland are embroiled in war of words before World Cup Switzerland is not the only team that has been warned about the presence of snakes in and around their training camp. Norway, featuring superstars like Erling Haaland and Martin Odegaard, are based at Grandover Resort & Spa in Greensboro, North Carolina. They have been advised not to provoke snakes, which are “very common” in the area. “Copperhead snakes are found throughout the eastern and southeastern United States and are very common in Greensboro. Do not provoke them, try to pick them up or disturb them in any other way – it is extremely dangerous to do anything other than leave them alone,” the city’s website states, making many Norwegian footballers wary. Story continues below this ad Norway open their campaign against Iraq in Boston on Tuesday (03.30 hours India time Wednesday).
Switzerland, Norway have an additional opponent to fear in training – snakes
