BERN, Switzerland (AP) — Switzerland forward Zeki Amdouni was named in the World Cup squad on Tuesday, less than a year after suffering a serious knee injury.
Amdouni's appearance for Arsenal as a late substitute for Burnley on Monday was just his third game off the bench this month since recovering from an ACL rupture suffered 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 will face co-host Canada, 2022 host Qatar, and Bosnia-Herzegovina in the group stage.
Granit Xhaka will lead the team as captain at what is the 33-year-old former Arsenal and Bayer Leverkusen midfielder's fourth straight World Cup, extending his national record of 144 caps.
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 Swiss league this season, and his Young Boys teammate goalkeeper Marvin Keller are the only players selected from domestic clubs.
Inter Milan defender Manuel Akanji just won a Serie A title.
Roster
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)