Switzerland midfielder Johann Lonfat will miss the World Cup finals because of an ankle injury.

The Sochaux star is set to undergo an exploratory operation on the joint in the next few weeks and will then be sidelined for around three months.

The 32-year-old was a regular member of Kobi Kuhn's squad during the qualifying campaign and was regarded as a certainty for Germany 2006, where Switzerland will take on France, South Korea and Togo.

The news will come as a major blow for Lonfat after a back injury forced him to miss Euro 2004.