BERN, Switzerland — Striker Breel Embolo of the Swiss national team has received his visa as of Thursday, allowing him to head to the World Cup after a two-day delay in travel authorization to the United States.
“We have just been informed that Breel Embolo’s visa has been approved,” stated the Swiss soccer federation, referencing a previous criminal conviction stemming from a 2018 incident.
“He will therefore be able to travel to the United States tomorrow, Friday,” the federation confirmed. “He is expected to join the team on Friday evening [local U.S. time].”
The Swiss team, currently training in San Diego, has a warm-up match scheduled against Australia on Saturday before commencing their World Cup journey a week later against Qatar in Santa Clara.
Previously, Embolo was denied boarding his flight from Zurich to Los Angeles on Tuesday due to blocked travel authorization by U.S. authorities, who needed to confirm that the incident was non-violent.
The charges against him were related to a verbal altercation in Basel’s city center, and the legal verdict was finalized following an appeal in April.
At 29, Embolo is set to participate in his third World Cup as the first-choice striker for Switzerland.
Switzerland is positioned as a favorite in Group B, where they will compete against Bosnia-Herzegovina in Inglewood, California, followed by tournament co-host Canada in Vancouver on June 24.
This report includes information from The Associated Press.