Manuel Akanji — Switzerland World Cup 2026 Squad

Career Highlights

Manuel Akanji completed 94.2 percent of his passes in the 2023-24 Premier League season — the highest rate of any defender in the competition history over a full campaign. Manchester City paid Borussia Dortmund just €17.5 million for him on transfer deadline day in September 2022, a fee Pep Guardiola later admitted was far below market value. Akanji started 29 league matches in City treble-winning 2022-23 season and was one of only three outfield players to play every minute of their Champions League knockout campaign. He was named Swiss Footballer of the Year in 2022 after his seamless adaptation to City system.

Club Career

Akanji grew up in Wiesendangen and joined FC Winterthur before moving to Basel at 19. He broke into the Basel first team under Urs Fischer and made 70 appearances, winning two Swiss Super League titles. Borussia Dortmund signed him for €21.5 million in 2018 and he was named Bundesliga Rookie of the Year in his debut season. Over four seasons at Dortmund he made 158 appearances but lost his starting place in 2021-22 under Marco Rose. Rather than accept a reduced role, he pushed for a transfer and City met the price. At City, Guardiola trusted him in big matches immediately — starting him against Liverpool in his third appearance.

International Career & World Cup History

Akanji debuted for Switzerland at 22 against Greece in 2017 and became a starter during the 2018 World Cup qualifying campaign. At the 2018 tournament he started two group matches but was dropped for the round-of-16 loss to Sweden. At Euro 2020 he started every match as Switzerland reached the quarter-finals. The 2022 World Cup in Qatar saw him start all three group matches. At Euro 2024 he marshalled a back three alongside Ricardo Rodriguez and Fabian Schaer, starting every match in their run to the quarter-finals where they lost on penalties to England. His partnership with Xhaka in screening the defence has given Switzerland a consistent platform.

World Cup 2026 Outlook

Akanji at 29 is in his prime and his comfort on the ball makes Switzerland far more dangerous in possession than their conservative reputation suggests. Murat Yakin three-at-the-back system suits Akanji perfectly — he is the central defender who steps into midfield to create numerical superiority. The risk is physical attrition: at City he plays 50 matches a season and carries that workload into international breaks. If Switzerland are to surpass their quarter-final ceiling, Akanji needs to stay fit and continue progressing the ball from defence into areas that unsettle mid-block opponents. His ability to carry the ball 20 or 30 metres out of defence is a weapon few centre-backs possess.