World Cup star blocked from travelling to United States days before tournament start

A World Cup star has been blocked from flying with the rest of his squad to the United States ahead of the tournament due to a travel issue.

Switzerland forward Breel Embolo, who now plays his club football for Ligue 1 side Rennes after spells with Basel, Schalke, Borussia Monchengladbach and Monaco, is his nation's top scorer among active players.

He is also Switzerland's fifth captain and is expected to play a leading role for Murat Yakin's side this summer.

The 29-year-old was named as one of six forwards in Switzerland's final 26-man squad last month.

But as the squad prepared to board a flight to the US on Tuesday morning, Embolo had to stay behind after an unexpected hold-up.

Reuters report that his Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) - a waiver form which prevents the need to have a visa for short-term visits - was 'placed under review' shortly before take-off.

It is claimed that Embolo's ESTA had been approved on the morning of the take-off, but that he was consequently not permitted to fly - though the issue is expected to be resolved in the coming days.

The Swiss Football Association (SFV) are in contact with authorities.

In a statement, the association said: "Unfortunately, Breel Embolo is currently unable to travel to the United States with the team.

"His ESTA authorisation had been approved until this morning. However, at 10:30am, we were informed that his ESTA application had been placed under further review.

"We are currently in contact with the relevant authorities and expect that Breel will either join the team later today or travel tomorrow and join the squad then."

The issue comes after Embolo was convicted in 2023 of making multiple threats and handed a suspended fine, following a 2018 altercation in Basel. It was reported that the forward decided not to take the case to the Federal Court.

Switzerland 26-man World Cup squad in full

Switzerland will once again be captained by Sunderland star midfielder Granit Xhaka in what will be the 33-year-old's fourth World Cup.

He is joined by fellow Premier League players Dan Ndoye and Noah Okafor, as well as Burnley striker Zeki Amdouni.

Amdouni's selection was seen as something of a surprise, given that he only made four substitute appearances for the Clarets all season due to a serious knee injury.

There is further top-flight appearance in the form of Borussia Dortmund goalkeeper Gregor Kobel and Real Betis defender Ricardo Rodriguez.

Former Manchester City star Manuel Akanji, who now plays for Inter Milan, has also been included.

Switzerland have been drawn in Group B at the 2026 World Cup and will take on Qatar, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Canada.

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)