Sunderland captain Granit Xhaka will take part in his fourth successive Fifa World Cup after being included in the Switzerland squad for this summer's tournament in the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

Xhaka, who holds the record for Switzerland's most caps with 144 appearances, is one of four Premier League players selected by manager Murat Yakin. The others are Nottingham Forest striker Dan Ndoye, Leeds United forward Noah Okafor, and Burnley attacker Zeki Amdouni.

Amdouni, who has made just three substitute appearances this season after recovering from a long-term knee injury, is praised by Yakin for his readiness. "Medically, he is 100% fit. He knows our system. He knows his role. That's the reason why I'm very glad he can be part of it," Yakin stated during a press conference.

The squad is a mix of experience and talent, with 17 players who featured at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. Real Betis full-back Ricardo Rodriguez, like Xhaka, will be competing in his fourth World Cup.

Notable omissions include Young Boys forwards Alvyn Sanches and Joel Monteiro, while Christian Fassnacht, the top scorer in the Swiss Super League with 18 goals, and Cedric Itten, who has been relegated to the German third tier with Fortuna Dusseldorf, have been included.

Switzerland will begin their tournament preparations with friendlies against Jordan on May 31 and Australia on June 6. Their first game in Group B will be against Qatar on June 13, followed by matches against Bosnia-Herzegovina and Canada.

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

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

Midfielders: Michel Aebischer (Pisa), Christian Fassnacht (Young Boys), 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 Dusseldorf), Dan Ndoye (Nottingham Forest), Noah Okafor (Leeds United).

  • Football
  • Switzerland