Switzerland have given an outlook on the Leeds United winger's return timeline
15:33, 01 Jun 2026
Noah Okafor is not expected to be sidelined for too much longer
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Noah Okafor is not expected to be sidelined for too much longer(Image: Daniela Porcelli/Getty Images)
Noah Okafor’s World Cup preparations took another hit this weekend with the Leeds United winger sitting out Switzerland’s 4-1 friendly win over Jordan on Sunday.
Okafor - who has not played for his country for more than 18 months - missed the final three Leeds United games of the Premier League season due to a calf issue sustained following the 3-1 win over Burnley.
The attacker was initially only ruled out for two matches but was deemed not fit enough to play against West Ham on the final day either.
Farke had bristled against the idea that he had been cautious in the return of Okafor and Sweden international Gabriel Gudmundsson - sidelined with a hamstring injury since the FA Cup semi-final defeat to Chelsea - amid their World Cup selections, insisting the club did the "opposite".
The 26-year-old’s calf injury has now furthermore prevented him featuring against Jordan, meaning his only chance of minutes before Switzerland’s opening game of the World Cup against Qatar on June 13 is Saturday’s friendly with Australia in San Diego. Okafor is expected to be back fit soon, though.
Confirming that three players were unavailable for last Sunday’s game, Switzerland issued a statement that read: “Also unavailable are Okafor, who is still struggling with a calf injury.... However, Yakin is not worried about [his] long-term availability.”
Okafor was handed his first Switzerland call-up since November 2024 in March, when selected to join the squad as a late injury replacement. Following a rift with manager Yakin, the forward met with senior national team chiefs earlier this year to resolve any outstanding issues and start afresh.
Farke believes this is one of the key reasons behind his end of season form, which saw him score six goals in seven Premier League games, prior to his calf setback.
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Okafor - who has 24 Swiss caps and two goals - made three substitute appearances at the 2022 World Cup, before being left on the bench for the whole of Euro 2024, where the rift with Yakin first grew. He has only earned two further caps since that tournament.