Embolo's Esta blocked as Switzerland travel to US for World Cup without striker

Breel Embolo missed Switzerland’s flight to Los Angeles on Tuesday after his US electronic travel authorisation (Esta) was placed under further review just hours before the squad’s departure, the Swiss football federation confirmed.

The Esta had been approved until 10:30am on Tuesday morning, at which point it was flagged for additional scrutiny. “Unfortunately, Breel Embolo is currently unable to travel to the United States with the team,” the federation said in a statement, adding that it was in contact with the relevant authorities. A team spokesperson, speaking from the boarding gate, noted that Embolo had previously been granted US entry for international matches without issue.

The federation expressed cautious optimism that the problem would be resolved quickly. “We expect that Breel will either join the team later today or travel tomorrow and join the squad then,” it said.

Switzerland are preparing for the 2026 World Cup, where they have been drawn in Group B alongside co-hosts Canada, Bosnia-Herzegovina, and Qatar. Their opening fixture is against Canada in Toronto on 12 June, making a swift resolution to Embolo’s travel situation a priority for the federation.

The incident is not an isolated one ahead of the tournament. South Africa’s squad delayed their flight to the US on Sunday due to unresolved visa issues, eventually departing on Monday. South African Sports Minister Gayton McKenzie described the situation on X as an “embarrassing” administrative error by team officials and demanded a formal report from the South African Football Association (SAFA).

SAFA held an emergency meeting on Sunday night, apologised for the disruption, and acknowledged receiving assistance from the South African Foreign Ministry and the US Consulate in Johannesburg to resolve the problems.

The visa episode adds to scrutiny already surrounding South Africa’s management. During World Cup qualifying, midfielder Teboho Mokoena played against Lesotho while suspended; the country was subsequently stripped of that victory, though the team still topped their group to qualify for the tournament.

South Africa will appear at the World Cup for the first time since hosting the event in 2010. They open Group A against co-hosts Mexico in Mexico City on 11 June, before facing the Czech Republic in Atlanta and South Korea in Monterrey.