Breel Embolo was unable to travel to the United States with Switzerland after U.S. authorities put his ESTA travel authorization under further review just hours before the team was due to leave.
The Swiss Football Association said Embolo’s authorization had been approved until 10:30am on Tuesday, then changed suddenly. By that point, the team had already been preparing to fly, and the striker was left behind while his teammates boarded the plane.
The timing matters because Switzerland is headed to the United States for the World Cup, and Embolo is not a fringe player. He has made 86 appearances for his country and scored 24 goals, including one in Switzerland’s 4-0 win over the U.S. men’s national team in Tennessee in June 2025. The squad is set to begin its tournament on June 13 against Qatar in San Francisco, with Canada and Bosnia and Herzegovina also in its group.
Embolo, who plays for French club Stade Rennais, has already dealt with legal trouble tied to his name. A Swiss court convicted him in 2023 of making threats against a person when he was 21 years old, and an appeal was rejected last September. Even so, he had traveled to the U.S. since that conviction, which makes the last-minute review more striking than a simple paperwork delay.
The association said only that it had been told Embolo’s application was under further review and did not give a reason. Switzerland’s team Instagram account added another clue to the mood inside the squad, posting a photo from the plane with one seat empty and the message: “One seat empty, but not for long😉See you soon @breelembolo97 ✈️.”
For now, the unanswered question is whether Embolo will be cleared in time to join Switzerland in the United States at all. The case also lands in a wider backdrop of travel and visa headaches around the tournament, including logistical problems for Iran’s team, and it shows how quickly an approved ESTA can still collapse at the last minute.
