Switzerland, Austria, Croatia and Germany qualify for the World Cup
Five SC Freiburg players are away with their respective national sides, with important World Cup and U21 EURO qualifiers coming up in November. Philipp Lienhart, Johan Manzambi, Igor Matanovic and Noah Atubolu were all able to secure their place at next summer's World Cup. Here is a full overview of the matches involving SC players.
The final international break of the year also signalled the final round of qualifying matches for the 2026 World Cup in Canada, Mexico and the USA. All four of SC's players that were taking part with their respective nations were able to successfully book their tickets to next summer's tournament. Igor Matanovic and Croatia emerged from qualifying still unbeaten, while Philipp Lienhart and Austria are off to the World Cup for the first time since 1998 - Lienhart was just two years old at the time. A 1-1 draw against Bosnia and Herzegovina was enough to secure their spot at the final tournament, with former SC player Michael Gregoritsch scoring for Austria.
Johan Manzambi played the full 90 minutes of Switzerland's 1-1 draw against Kosovo, as they have qualified for their seventh straight World Cup. Germany's spot at the tournament was sealed with a big 6-0 win over Slovakia on the final matchday.
Bruno Ogbus and Switzerland U21s are currently involved in qualifying for the U21 EUROs in Albania and Serbia, and are currently in third place in their group. A draw against leaders France was followed by a 2-1 defeat to Luxembourg.
Full overview of all the fixtures involving SC players:
Germany - Noah Atubolu:
Fri., 14/11, 20:45 CET I WCQ I Luxembourg 2-0 Germany I Atubolu was not in the squad
Mon., 17/11, 20:45 CET I WCQ I Germany 6-0 Slovakia I Atubolu was not in the squad
Austria - Philipp Lienhart:
Sat., 15/11, 18 CET I WCQ I Cyprus 0-2 Austria I Lienhart played the full 90 minutes
Tue., 18/11, 20:45 CET I WCQ I Austria 1-1 Bosnia and Herzegovina I Lienhart played the full 90 minutes
Croatia - Igor Matanovic:
Fri., 14/11, 20:45 CET I WCQ I Croatia 3-1 Faroe Islands I Matanovic was subbed on in the 74th minute
Mon., 17/11, 20:45 CET I WCQ I Montenegro 2-3 Croatia I Matanovic started and was subbed off after 59 minutes
Switzerland - Johan Manzambi:
Sat., 15.11., 20:45 CET I WCQ I Switzerland 4-1 Sweden I Manzambi came on in the 85th minute and scored the final goal in injury time.
Tue., 18/11, 20:45 CET I WCQ I Kosovo 1-1 Switzerland I Manzambi started and played the full 90 minutes
Switzerland (U21) - Bruno Ogbus:
Fri., 14/11, 19:30 CET I U21 EURO qualifier I Switzerland 1-1 France I Ogbus played the full 90 minutes.
Tue., 18/11, 19:30 CET I U21 EURO qualifier I Luxembourg 2-1 Switzerland I Ogbus played the full 90 minutes
Photo: SC Freiburg