A large contingent of home-grown talent, prudence in the transfer market and boisterous local support makes them the sort of club which UEFA president Michel Platini, who is desperately trying to persuade European clubs to reign in their spending, would like to see more of.
FC Basel, conquerors of Manchester United in the group stage, pulled off another upset on Wednesday with their 1-0 win over four-times European champions Bayern Munich in the first leg of their round of 16 tie.
Seven of the players who started the game are Swiss and four of those are young players who have passed through the club's much praised youth divisions.
They include goalkeeper Yann Sommer (23), who produced an outstanding performance to deny Bayern's forwards. Midfielders Granit Xhaka (19) and Fabian Frei (23) and winger Xherdan Shaqiri (20), one of Swiss football's brightest prospects.
Twenty-two-year substitute Valentin Stocker, who scored the late winner, is another who has passed through Basel's youth divisions.
"We know who we are and where we want to go," said club president Bernhard Heusler, after Basel were drawn against Bayern in December.
Basel's relative success could serve as a role model for other clubs in leagues outside the big five of England, Spain, Italy, France and Germany, who try to over-reach themselves.
Fans were alienated when the colours were changed to Red Bull's trademark red and blue, so much so that a splinter group set up a new club who play in the original purple and white and have now reached the third division.
