Noah Okafor Ends International Career with Switzerland

Noah Okafor has drawn a hard line under his international career with Switzerland – at least for as long as Murat Yakin remains in charge.

The Leeds United forward announced on Thursday that he will no longer represent his country under the current national team coach, saying the trust between them has broken down beyond repair.

Okafor, 26, has collected 26 caps since his debut in 2019 and travelled to the last World Cup as part of Yakin’s squad. But he played just 19 minutes at the tournament, coming off the bench in Switzerland’s last-32 win over Algeria.

On Instagram, he made it clear this was not a simple complaint about minutes on the pitch. It ran deeper.

"My decision has nothing to do with my playing time," he wrote. "Things happened that hurt me deeply. Trust was broken. Commitments were not kept.

"When I was allowed to play against Algeria, people reacted to minor mistakes far away from our goal in a way that hurt me deeply.

"In the weeks that followed, I thought a lot and decided for myself that I no longer want to play for the national team under the current manager."

The Swiss FA confirmed it had been informed of Okafor’s stance on Thursday. A spokesperson told Reuters: "We respect his decision and wish him every success with his club."

Okafor moved to Leeds from AC Milan in August 2025 in an £18m deal and has been rebuilding his club career in England while his international future has quietly come to a head.

Yakin, who took over as Switzerland head coach in August 2021, now faces the prospect of planning the next cycle without a forward who, at 26, should be entering his prime years for the national side.

Switzerland’s next assignment comes on 26 September, away to North Macedonia in their opening match of the 2026-27 Nations League. Whether bridges can ever be rebuilt before then, or before Yakin’s tenure ends, is no longer in Okafor’s hands.