After the 1970s – characterised by a long period of xenophobic policies and Switzerland blocking the social and civil ambitions of inclusion of the Italian community – in 1982, the Italian football team won the World Cup in Spain. This apparently apolitical achievement was celebrated enthusiastically by the Italian community all over Switzerland. The proud, joyful and peaceful celebrations contributed to change the perception and the representation of the Italian community in Switzerland. In particular, this paper argues that the victory of the Mundial in Spain accelerated the process of inclusion of the Italian community in Switzerland.