Swiss striker in US visa limbo ahead of World Cup

Swiss forward Breel Embolo has yet to depart for the United States to join his national team for the World Cup, with Swiss football officials expressing disappointment but remaining hopeful that U.S. authorities will soon grant him permission to travel.

Embolo’s ESTA travel clearance was denied at short notice on Tuesday after his application was initially approved, with authorities saying less than three hours before takeoff that additional checks were required in order for him to travel to the United States, News.Az reports, citing Politico.

“I don’t want to pass judgment on it, but of course we would have preferred for this to have happened earlier,” Adrian Arnold, director of corporate communications for the Swiss Football Association, told journalists Wednesday. “That said, I’m not familiar with the procedures used by the U.S. immigration authorities.”

“I think we all know that this U.S. administration takes a very restrictive approach to immigration matters,” he said later in the press conference. “This is the first time we’ve experienced that firsthand, and we hope there won’t be any further cases like this — also not for our fans traveling to the tournament.”

According to a Swiss national team spokesperson, Embolo submitted a visa application in person at the U.S. embassy in Bern Wednesday morning.

“The embassy informed us that the application is being processed as a priority. Breel and the team are now awaiting approval so that he can travel to San Diego and join the squad as soon as possible,” the Swiss team said in a press release Wednesday.

The Swiss Football Association also confirmed earlier that day that Embolo’s problems stemmed from a previous criminal conviction over an incident in 2018, which was only recently concluded. They said the U.S. embassy’s enquiries concerning the case had “focused specifically on whether any physical violence had been involved,” which was not the case.

Embolo has traveled to the U.S. before. In June 2025 he scored when the United States men’s team was thrashed 4-0 by Switzerland on home soil.

The striker, who currently plays for French side Stade Rennais, is one of Switzerland’s most important attacking players, having scored 24 goals in 86 appearances for the national team.

“He is a crucial player for our team and has a lot of experience,” Swiss goalkeeper Gregor Kobel told journalists at the press conference. “It’s not the first time that he’s late,” another spokesperson, Sergio Affuso, added with a laugh.

The question of when Embolo can join the team, however, remains unanswered. “We are confident and have received positive signals that the visa application will be treated as a matter of urgency. We also expect that Breel will be able to join the team as soon as possible,” Arnold told journalists.

According to the spokesperson, Embolo is waiting in Zurich for clearance to travel to the United States. Switzerland’s first game takes place in Santa Clara on June 13 against Qatar. The tournament starts June 11 with a game between Mexico and South Africa.

FIFA didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

News.Az 

By Ulviyya Salmanli