Why Xherdan Shaqiri isn’t playing for Switzerland at the World Cup

Switzerland begins its 2026 FIFA World Cup campaign on Saturday against Qatar.

Xherdan Shaqiri won’t be playing a part.

Shaqiri has been a part of the Swiss setup for so long, but it’s a new era, and the midfield dynamo isn’t a part of it.

Why isn’t Xherdan Shaqiri playing for Switzerland?

Shaqiri isn’t a part of the Swiss team because he retired from international football in 2024.

The 34-year old midfield is still playing at the club level for Basel in the Swiss Super League.

He ended his international career with 125 caps for Switzerland, including 32 goals.

Shaqiri was actually born in Kosovo, but his family moved to Switzerland when he was only a year old, and so he represented the Swiss national team in international competition.

He had a well-traveled club career that started at Basel — so he has now gone full circle. Shaqiri also played for Bayern Munich, Inter Milan, Stoke City, Liverpool, Lyon and the Chicago Fire.

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Shaqiri had played in the World Cup in 2010, 2014, 2018 and 2022, so this is a big change for the Swiss side.

They’ve still got talent and are part of the group with Canada, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Qatar. They’ll be expected to make it out of that group and advance to the knockout stages, even without the playmaker Shaqiri.