World Cup star stopped from traveling to the United States just days before the tournament begins
A World Cup star has hit a bump in the road and can’t fly with his team to the United States before the tournament because of a travel problem.
Switzerland’s forward Breel Embolo, now playing for Rennes in France’s Ligue 1, is the country’s top scorer among current players. He’s also their fifth captain and is expected to be a key player for coach Murat Yakin’s team this summer.
The 29-year-old was picked as one of six forwards in Switzerland’s final 26-man squad last month. But on Tuesday morning, as the team was getting ready to fly to the US, Embolo had to stay behind because of an unexpected issue.
Reports say his Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA)—which lets travelers visit the US without a visa for a short time—was suddenly put under review just before the flight. His ESTA had been approved earlier that day, but then he wasn’t allowed to board the plane. The good news is they expect this to be sorted out soon.
The Swiss Football Association (SFV) is working with the authorities to fix the problem. In a statement, they said: “Unfortunately, Breel Embolo can’t travel with the team to the United States right now. His ESTA was approved until this morning, but at 10:30 am, we learned it was sent for further review. We’re in touch with the relevant officials and hope that Breel will join the team later today or tomorrow.”
This issue comes after Embolo was convicted in 2023 for making several threats and fined, following a 2018 incident in Basel. He chose not to appeal the case.
Switzerland’s team will be led by midfielder Granit Xhaka from Sunderland, who will captain the team for the fourth time at the age of 33. Joining him are fellow Premier League players Dan Ndoye and Noah Okafor, plus Burnley striker Zeki Amdouni, whose selection surprised some since he only had four substitute appearances last season because of a serious knee injury.
Other key players include goalkeeper Gregor Kobel from Borussia Dortmund and defender Ricardo Rodriguez from Real Betis. Former Manchester City player Manuel Akanji, now with Inter Milan, is also in the squad.
Switzerland is in Group B for the 2026 World Cup, where they’ll face Qatar, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Canada.
Here’s the full squad list:
Goalkeepers: Marvin Keller (Young Boys), Gregor Kobel (Borussia Dortmund), Yvon Mvogo (Lorient)
Defenders: Manuel Akanji (Inter Milan), Aurele Amenda (Frankfurt), Eray Comert (Valencia), Nico Elvedi (Borussia Monchengladbach), Luca Jaquez (Stuttgart), Miro Muheim (Hamburg), Ricardo Rodriguez (Real Betis), Silvan Widmer (Mainz)
Midfielders: Granit Xhaka (Sunderland, captain), Michel Aebischer (Pisa), Christian Fassnacht (Young Boys), Remo Freuler (Bologna), Ardon Jashiri (AC Milan), Johan Manzambi (Freiburg), Fabian Rieder (Augsburg), Djibril Sow (Sevilla), Ruben Vargas (Sevilla), Denis Zakaria (Monaco)
Forwards: Zeki Amdouni (Burnley), Breel Embolo (Rennes), Cedric Itten (Fortuna Dusseldorf), Dan Ndoye (Nottingham Forest), Noah Okafor (Leeds)