Breel Embolo Joins Switzerland World Cup Squad After Visa Approval

Breel Embolo will finally join up with Switzerland’s World Cup squad in the United States after days of uncertainty over his right to enter the country.

The Swiss football federation confirmed on Thursday that the 29-year-old striker has been granted a visa and is expected to land in San Diego on Friday evening, where Murat Yakin’s side are already based for their pre-tournament camp in California.

Embolo had been left behind in Switzerland on Tuesday when his ESTA travel authorisation was suddenly placed under further review shortly before the squad’s departure. While his team-mates flew out to the West Coast, one of their key attacking options stayed in limbo, waiting for an answer from U.S. authorities.

That wait is over.

“We have just been informed that Breel Embolo's visa has been approved. He will therefore be able to travel to the United States. He is expected to join the team on Friday evening,” the federation said in a statement, drawing a line under an episode that had threatened to overshadow the start of Switzerland’s World Cup build-up.

The delay arose after American officials ordered extra checks on Embolo’s case. On Wednesday, the forward attended an appointment at the U.S. Embassy in Bern, where staff reviewed documents linked to a legal case stemming from a 2018 altercation in Basel.

U.S. authorities also requested court records relating to a 2023 conviction for making multiple threats, which resulted in a suspended fine and became legally binding earlier this year. Though the matter had already been settled in the Swiss courts, it triggered heightened scrutiny under U.S. entry rules.

Only once those records had been examined did the green light arrive and Embolo’s visa was approved, clearing the way for him to rejoin a squad that now knows it will have its full complement of forwards when the World Cup begins.