Xhaka to captain Switzerland as Amdouni included
May 19, 2026, 03:12 PM ETBERN, Switzerland -- Switzerland forward Zeki Amdouni was picked in the World Cup squad Tuesday with less than one hour of playing time all season after a serious knee injury.Veteran Granit Xhaka will captain the side at the tournament in the United States, Mexico and Canada, marking his fourth-straight appearance for Switzerland at the World Cup.Editor's PicksAmdouni's appearance at Arsenal on Monday as a late substitute for Burnley was just his third game off the bench this month since recovering from an ACL rupture last July.A solid record of 11 goals in 27 national-team games helped Amdouni earn a place in Switzerland coach Murat Yakin's 26-man squad that should be favored in a group with co-host Canada, 2022 host Qatar and Bosnia-Herzegovina.The 26 names were revealed over two days in a social media campaign, with fans invited to find them hidden in a series of photographs of Swiss residents at their workplaces.Xhaka will lead the team as captain as the 33-year-old former Arsenal and Bayer Leverkusen midfielder, who now plays for Sunderland, extends his national record of 144 games.Yakin made surprise picks with attacking options Christian Fassnacht and Cedric Itten, who each played just a handful of minutes for Switzerland since 2023.Fassnacht, the 18-goal top scorer in the national league this season, and his Young Boys teammate, goalkeeper Marvin Keller, are the only players selected from clubs in Switzerland. Swiss champion Thun is not represented.Inter Milan defender Manuel Akanji just won a Serie A title and Johan Manzambi will play for Freiburg in the Europa League final Wednesday against Aston Villa.Manzambi made an instant impact against World Cup co-hosts in the United States last June. The 20-year-old prospect debuted in a 4-2 win over Mexico then scored in a 4-0 rout of the United States.Full Switzerland Squad:Goalkeepers: Gregor Kobel (Borussia Dortmund), Yvon Mvogo (Lorient), Marvin Keller (Young Boys)Defenders: Manuel Akanji (Inter Milan), Nico Elvedi (Borussia Mönchengladbach), Ricardo Rodriguez (Real Betis), Silvan Widmer (Mainz), Miro Muheim (Hamburger SV), Aurèle Amenda (Eintracht Frankfurt), Eray Cömert (Valencia), Luca Jaquez (Stuttgart)Midfielders: Granit Xhaka (Sunderland), Johan Manzambi (Freiburg), Remo Freuler (Bologna), Denis Zakaria (Monaco), Ardon Jashari (AC Milan), Djibril Sow (Sevilla), Christian Fassnacht (Young Boys), Michel Aebischer (Pisa), Fabian Rieder (Augsburg), Rubén Vargas (Sevilla)Forwards: Breel Embolo (Rennes), Noah Okafor (Leeds), Dan Ndoye (Nottingham Forest), Zeki Amdouni (Burnley), Cedric Itten (Fortuna Dusseldorf)Information from The Associated Press was used in this story.
