Switzerland coach Ottmar Hitzfeld on Wednesday said he aims to steer his side beyond the group stage of the World Cup, after their unbeaten qualifying run in the race to Brazil.

"Whatever group we're in, our goal in Brazil is to clear the group stage and keep going with as many matches as possible," said the German, at the helm of the national team since 2008.

"There's no point in going to Brazil to play just three matches," former Bayern Munich manager Hitzfeld added.

He recalled Switzerland's disappointment at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, where they exited in the group stage after having started with a flourish by defeating Spain 1-0 in their opening game.

"We beat Spain, then lost to Chile because of a sending-off and a doubtful goal. Details matter a lot, just as much as luck," he added.

In the wake of the 1-0 loss to Chile, Switzerland were sent packing after a 0-0 draw with Honduras.

Thanks to their solid qualifying campaign for the 2014 World Cup, Switzerland look set for the first time to enjoy the status of a top seed for the finals draw in December.

"This status will make my players mentally even stronger. But I want them to keep their feet on the ground," Hitzfeld said.

He said his squad should remember the lessons of their qualifier against Iceland last month -- Switzerland were leading 4-1 before the Icelanders clawed back to draw 4-4 -- underlining that victory only comes with the final whistle.

As part of their World Cup warm up campaign, Switzerland take on South Korea on November 15.

Next year's tournament will mark the team's third World Cup in a row.

In Germany in 2006, they finished top of their group, ahead of eventual semi-finalists France, plus South Korea and Togo, but were knocked out on penalties by Ukraine in the next round.