“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.