Three Seville Players Included in Switzerland’s 2026 World Cup Squad. The Swiss national team has called up three players from Seville clubs for the World Cup. Among them are two from Sevilla FC and one from Betis. This decision could impact the teams’ standings in La Liga.
The Swiss national team has announced its squad for the 2026 World Cup, including three players from Seville clubs. The final list features Ruben Vargas and Djibril Sow from Sevilla, as well as Ricardo Rodriguez, who plays for Betis. Such representation of Andalusian teams in Switzerland's national squad has become a notable event amid a challenging season for both clubs.
For Sevilla, the past year was tense: the team only avoided relegation from La Liga in the final rounds. Despite this, the club became the main supplier of players for the Swiss national team — two footballers received call-ups. Ruben Vargas, one of the key attacking players, spent much of the season battling injuries, but managed to help the team retain its place in the top division, scoring three goals and making six assists. His participation in the World Cup remains in doubt due to recent injuries, but the national team’s coaching staff has not yet excluded him from the squad.
Djibril Sow, Sevilla’s second representative in the national team, was a mainstay in midfield throughout the season. He regularly started matches, scored five goals and provided four assists, and played a key role in the win over Villarreal in one of the decisive fixtures. In the national team, Sow does not always start, but he is consistently called up for training camps. In the last friendly matches before the World Cup, he was not in the starting lineup, and his role at the tournament is still to be determined.
The third player from Seville is Ricardo Rodriguez from Real Betis. This season, Betis secured a Champions League spot, and Rodriguez, despite being forced to miss matches due to participating in the Europa League, remained a key figure in defense. After the World Cup, the defender will leave the club, but in the Swiss national team, he holds a special position: since 2011, Rodriguez has always been in the starting lineup and ranks second in all-time appearances for the national team—with 138 matches, second only to Granit Xhaka.
Switzerland has traditionally not been among the favorites at World Cups but regularly reaches the playoffs. The last time the team made it to the quarterfinals was back in 1954, but in the last five tournaments, they reached the Round of 16 four times. In 2010, the Swiss were the only team to defeat Spain in the group stage. A new squad focused on players from Seville could change the familiar scenario. As russpain.com notes, the current World Cup is being held under updated rules and has already set a historic record for the number of participants—more about the tournament’s innovations can be found in the article on the start of World Cup 2026 and the new rules.
For reference: Sevilla and Betis are the main football clubs of the city of Seville, traditional rivals in La Liga. In the 2025/26 season, Betis became one of seven Spanish clubs whose players are represented at the World Cup. Sevilla's goalkeeper Nyland also went to the tournament but plays for the Norwegian national team. The presence of three players from Seville in the Swiss national team highlights the growing influence of Andalusian clubs on the international stage, despite internal difficulties and changes in Spanish football.
