Switzerland manager Ottmar Hitzfeld is to step down after next year's World Cup, the German veteran announced on Thursday.

"This is the hardest decision of my career," Hitzfeld told reporters, underlining that he would turn 65 in January and that it was time to wrap up his three-decade coaching career.

Former Bayern Munich boss Hitzfeld, at the helm of Switzerland since 2008, has just succeeded in steering the "Nati" to their third successive World Cup.

They were unbeaten in the qualifying race to reach the 2014 edition in Brazil, and as a result have jumped seven notches to seventh place in the FIFA rankings, making them a top seed for the finals draw in December.

They secured their berth at next year's tournament in their penultimate qualifier, beating Albania away last week, and capped it with a home victory over Slovenia.

"Under Ottmar Hitzfeld, Switzerland for the first time reached a World Cup before their final qualifier. And with him in charge, we've pulled off the historic exploit of getting into the first pot for the draw and becoming a top seed," said Peter Gillieron, head of the Swiss Football Federation.

"We understand the reasons for his choice. As much as we regret this decision, we must accept it and respect it," he added.

Hitzfeld hails from the southwestern German town of Loerrach, just over the border from the Swiss city of Basel.

A striker, he spent the bulk of his playing career in Switzerland, starting with local giants FC Basel, before moving into management in the 1980s.

After steering several Swiss clubs, he returned to Germany at the start of the 1990s to take over at Borussia Dortmund, then Bayern, where he spent two spells before getting the Switzerland job.