Switzerland Announce FIFA World Cup Squad as Murat Yakin Prefers Experience Over Youth

Switzerland coach Murat Yakin went with experience and stability on Wednesday as he announced the national team squad for the FIFA World Cup 2026. He included 17 players who were also part of the team in Qatar four years ago.

Three more players were part of the squad at the 2024 European Championship in Germany. This means only backup goalkeeper Marvin Keller and five players based in Germany will be playing in a major tournament for the first time.

Captain Granit Xhaka, Switzerland’s most experienced player with 144 appearances, and defender Ricardo Rodriguez, who has 136 caps, are set to play in their fourth FIFA World Cup in a row. Besides them, five more players will also be appearing in their third straight tournament.

However, the big talking point was the exclusion of Young Boys forwards Alvyn Sanches and Joel Monteiro. Both had been included in the squad for the March friendlies against Germany and Norway, so their omission came as a surprise.

Meanwhile, Christian Fassnacht was picked after finishing as the top scorer in the Super League with 18 goals. Cedric Itten also made the squad even though his club Fortuna Düsseldorf were relegated from Germany’s second division on Sunday.

Burnley forward Zeki Amdouni was also included, suggesting that Murat Yakin is looking for experienced strikers in the lineup. Interestingly, Zeki has only just returned from a long knee injury and has made just three substitute appearances in the Premier League so far.

The Switzerland squad will come together on Monday and face Jordan in a friendly match in St. Gallen on May 31. After that, the team will travel to the United States, where they will play Australia in San Diego on June 6 as part of their warm-up games.

As far as the World Cup is concerned, they will begin their Group B campaign against Qatar in Santa Clara on June 13, followed by matches against Bosnia and co-hosts Canada.

Switzerland Squad for FIFA World Cup 2026

Goalkeepers: Marvin Keller (Young Boys Bern), Gregor Kobel (Borussia Dortmund), ‌Yvon Mvogo (Lorient)

Defenders: Manuel Akanji (Inter Milan), Aurele Amenda (Eintracht Frankfurt), Eray Comert (Valencia), Nico Elvedi (Borussia Monchengladbach), Luca Jaquez (VfB Stuttgart), Miro Muheim (Hamburg), Ricardo Rodriguez (Real Betis), Silvan Widmer (Mainz)

Midfielders: Michel Aebischer (Pisa), Christian Fassnacht (Young Boys Bern), Remo Freuler (Bologna), Ardon Jashari (AC Milan), Johan Manzambi (Freiburg), Fabian Rieder (Augsburg), Djibril Sow, Ruben Vargas (both Sevilla), Granit Xhaka (Sunderland), ⁠Denis Zakaria (Monaco)

Forwards: Zeki Amdouni (Burnley), Breel ⁠Embolo (Stade Rennais), Cedric Itten (Fortuna Düsseldorf), ‌Dan Ndoye (Nottingham Forest), Noah Okafor (Leeds United).