Noah Okafor Leeds United
Leeds United’s Noah Okafor has received a surprise call up from Switzerland for the ongoing international break on Monday.
Last Thursday, Switzerland manager Muart Yakin announced his squad for the upcoming two fixtures. He confirmed the Leeds United player was in contention, but an injury meant he wasn’t available.
The 25-year-old picked up a hamstring injury in February that kept him on the sidelines for a few weeks. A new hip problem delayed his return, and it turn, prevented him from making a return to the national team.
Okafor, who has played 24 matches for his country, hasn’t made an appearance for Switzerland since November 2024. In fact, he’s made five appearances since the start of 2024.
Sport Witness have provided a timeline on what went wrong between the forward and the national team since Euro 2024.
Last month, a national team delegation led by Yakin and director Pierluigi Tami, made a trip to England, to hold talks with him. At that time, the manager said Okafor will be in contention for the fixtures in March, before a fitness setback ruled him out.
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Murat Yakin
Noah Okafor has now received a lifeline from Yakin. Switzerland’s FA took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to make a surprise announcement.
At the weekend, Leeds United had to settle for a goalless draw against Brentford and Daniel Farke handed Okafor 21 minutes. This would have convinced Yakin to call him up, following Valencia midfielder Filip Ugrinic picking up an injury.
‘Filip Ugrinić is out due to injury and will miss the training camp. National coach Murat Yakin has called up Noah Okafor, who returned to the pitch on Saturday after his injury, to replace him,’ a statement read on X.
Blick relay that and add the national team will gather at the camp on Monday. Okafor should join his compatriots after the latest development.
Switzerland squad and fixtures for March
Friendly v Germany in Basel on March 27th
Friendly v Norway in Osla on March 31st
Yakin’s Squad
Goalkeepers: Gregor Kobel, Yvon Mvogo, Marvin Keller
Defenders: Manuel Akanji, Aurèle Amenda, Eray Cömert, Nico Elvedi, Luca Jaquez, Miro Muheim, Ricardo Rodriguez, Silvan Widmer
Midfielders: Michel Aebischer, Remo Freuler, Ardon Jashari, Johan Manzambi, Fabian Rieder, Vincent Sierro, Djibril Sow, Granit Xhaka, Denis Zakaria
Forwards: Breel Embolo, Noah Okafor, Joël Monteiro, Dan Ndoye, Alvyn Sanches, Ruben Vargas
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⭐️ All good news for #LUFC ahead of summerhttps://t.co/V3Lw4yQXEb #mot
— Sport Witness (@Sport_Witness) March 3, 2026