Breel Embolo delayed before Suiza - Australia friendly
Breel Embolo’s visa delay has pushed his arrival into the United States late, adding an early wrinkle to suiza - australia before Switzerland meet Australia at 02:00 on 7 June 2026. The friendly comes with both sides in World Cup preparation mode, and Switzerland now have to manage an altered attack while Australia work through a new structure under Tony Popovic.
Embolo and Xhaka for Switzerland
Embolo had just scored his 24th international goal before the travel problem slowed him down, and that leaves Switzerland weighing whether Zeki Amdouni or Cedric Itten gets the attacking minutes around him. Granit Xhaka, who is preparing for his fourth consecutive World Cup, remains the clearest reference point in a side that qualified unbeaten.
Switzerland’s recent stretch has still come with a warning sign. They have been eliminated in the round of 16 or earlier in their last eight appearances at major tournaments, so this match sits inside a much larger check on how the squad looks against a different kind of opponent before Group B begins with Qatar, Bosnia-Herzegovina and host Canada.
Popovic’s Australia shape
Australia arrive with their own reset under Popovic, who replaced Graham Arnold and has turned the team into a more disciplined unit. The Socceroos beat Cameroon and Curacao in 2026, scoring five goals across those wins, before losing 0-1 to Mexico the previous week.
Kusini Yengi is out with a thigh injury and Martin Boyle has been left out of the squad, which narrows the options in attack as Australia settle into a predicted 3-4-2-1. The projected lineup has Ryan, Circati, Souttar, Herrington, Italiano, Metcalfe, Devlin, Irvine, Bos, Irán and Touré, with the defensive work likely carrying more weight than the finish.
World Cup test at 02:00
Switzerland’s predicted 3-4-3 lists Kobel, Akanji, Elvedi, Rodríguez, Rieder, Freuler, Xhaka, Aebischer, Ndoye, Amdouni and Okafor, a shape that should keep pressure on Australia’s back line from the start. For both teams, the value of this match is in selection and rhythm as much as the result, and the 02:00 kickoff on 7 June 2026 gives each staff one more live look before the 2026 World Cup. For Embolo, the late arrival is the immediate complication; for Australia, the absent forwards leave Popovic fewer attacking combinations to test.
