Fourteen of West Ham United Academy’s young talents are set to represent their nations during the upcoming March international break.
From crucial UEFA Nations League play-offs to Elite Round qualifiers and international tournaments, the Academy’s representatives will be looking to impress on the international stage.
Northern Ireland
Callum Marshall, top goalscorer for his loan side Huddersfield Town in EFL League One, earns his ninth call up to Northern Ireland’s senior squad. The 20-year-old has ten goals for the Terriers in all competitions this season as Huddersfield look to secure an immediate return to the Championship.
Marshall and his Northern Ireland teammates will contest friendlies against Switzerland in Belfast on 21 March and Sweden in Stockholm on 25 March.
Hungary
Krisztián Hegyi, with 50 games at youth level for his native Hungary under his belt, has been selected by the senior squad for the second time for their double-header play-off against Turkey, looking to secure their third consecutive campaign in the top division of the UEFA Nations League.
Hegyi joined seven-time Hungarian champions Debreceni VSC on loan in January. Before signing the 22-year-old, relegation-threatened Debreceni had been conceding at an alarming rate of over two goals a game. Hegyi’s arrival in mid-January has helped steady the backline, keeping two clean sheets which has seen him earn his first senior call-up since 2023.
Northern Ireland U21s
Josh Briggs has been called up to Northern Ireland’s U21 squad for the first time, stepping up from the U19s. The defender has impressed since breaking into West Ham United U21s' starting XI, earning a Premier League 2 Player of the Month nomination for February.
Briggs and his teammates, including Patrick Kelly, currently on loan at Doncaster Rovers, will travel to Turkey for three international friendlies. They face Ukraine U20s on Thursday 20 March, Uzbekistan U21s on Saturday 22 March, and Turkmenistan U21s on Tuesday 25 March.
England Elite Development Squad
Kaelan Casey, George Earthy and Ollie Scarles have been named in the England Elite Development Squad, which includes players from the U20s age group, for two upcoming fixtures.
Casey earns his third call-up of the season, having featured in all but one of England’s six U20 Euro Elite League matches, helping the Young Lions remain unbeaten and top the standings.
For Earthy, currently on loan at EFL Championship side Bristol City, this is also his third Young Lions call-up of the season. The midfielder previously played in friendlies against Sweden and the Republic of Ireland, as well as the Elite League victory over defending champions Italy in October. He also received his maiden U21s call-up during the previous international window, working under Ben Futcher, who stepped in as interim head coach.
Scarles returns to the England set-up for the first time since March 2023, stepping up to the U20s age group. The 19-year-old is no stranger to playing beyond his years, having represented England at U15, U16, U17 and U18 levels, alongside gaining Premier League experience this season. Scarles has made ten top-flight appearances so far, starting three Premier League matches, including wins over Arsenal and Leicester City last month.
The trio will travel to Portugal to face the hosts in the Euro Elite League on Friday 21 March at the Municipal Stadium in Leiria, before crossing the border into Spain to take on Switzerland in an international friendly on Monday 24 March at the Marbella Football Centre.
Ben Futcher's Elite League Squad for their upcoming games against Portugal and Switzerland! 🇵🇹🇨🇭👇
— England (@England) March 13, 2025
England U19s
West Ham United U21s duo Lewis Orford and Fin Herrick have been called up to Will Antwi’s 21-man England U19 squad for the UEFA Elite Round qualifiers, where they will aim to secure a place at this summer’s U19 European Championship in Romania.
England advanced to this stage unbeaten following the first qualifying round in November, where Herrick kept a clean sheet against Lithuania, and Orford netted the winning goal in their win over Bulgaria. To qualify for the finals, England must top a group featuring Wales, Portugal and Turkey. They begin their campaign against Wales at Bangor City Stadium on Wednesday 19 March before facing Turkey at Deeside Stadium on Saturday 22 March and Portugal at the same venue on Tuesday 25 March.
Scotland U19s
Striker Josh Landers, who joined West Ham from Hibernian in January, has been selected for Scotland U19s' training camp in Spain. Landers has scored six goals in six appearances for the U18s since his arrival and recently made his Premier League 2 debut. Scotland, preparing for next season’s qualifiers, will play Sweden U19s on Wednesday 19 March and Poland U19s on Saturday 22 March.
England U18s
West Ham scholars Emeka Adiele and Airidas Golambeckis have been recalled by Liam Bramley for an international tournament in Porto, Portugal. The Young Lions will first take on the Czech Republic at Estádio de São Miguel on Friday 21 March before facing France at Sport Clube Freamunde on Sunday 23 March. They will conclude the tournament against hosts Portugal at the Municipal Stadium Futebol on Tuesday 25 March.
England U17s
First-year scholars Lanre Awesu and Chinaza Nwosu have been named in Neil Young’s England U17 squad for UEFA Elite Round qualifying on home soil. England will face Israel, Slovenia and Northern Ireland in a bid to secure a place at this summer’s U17 European Championship in Albania. Awesu and Nwosu featured in last month’s warm-up matches against the Netherlands, with Awesu saving a penalty and Nwosu scoring in a 3-2 win.
Fixtures in full
Wednesday 19 March
Lanre Awesu & Chinaza Nwosu | England U17s v Israel U17s - UEFA U17 Euro Elite Qualifier - St George's Park, 3pm GMT
Josh Landers | Scotland U19s v Sweden U19s - International Friendly - Pinatar Arena, Spain, 3pm GMT
Lewis Orford & Fin Herrick | England U19s v Wales U19s - UEFA U19 Euro Elite Qualifier - Bangor City Stadium, 7pm GMT
Thursday 20 March
Krisztián Hegyi | Turkey v Hungary - UEFA Nations League Relegation Play-Off - Rams Park, Istanbul, 5pm GMT
Josh Briggs & Patrick Kelly | Northern Ireland U21s v Ukraine U20s - International Friendly - Antalya, Turkey, TBC
Friday 21 March
Kaelan Casey, George Earthy & Ollie Scarles | England U20s v Portugal U20s - U20 Euro Elite League - Municipal Stadium Leiria, 4pm GMT
Emeka Adiele & Airidas Golambeckis | England U18s v Czech Republic U18s - International Friendly - Estádio de São Miguel, 6pm GMT
Callum Marshall | Northern Ireland v Switzerland - International Friendly - Windsor Park, Belfast, 7.45pm GMT
Saturday 22 March
Josh Landers | Scotland U19s v Poland U19s - International Friendly - Pinatar Arena, 1pm GMT
Lewis Orford & Fin Herrick | England U19s v Turkey U19s - UEFA U19 Euro Elite Qualifier - Deeside Stadium, 3pm GMT
Josh Briggs & Patrick Kelly | Northern Ireland U21s v Uzbekistan U21s - International Friendly - Antalya, Turkey, TBC
Sunday 23 March
Lanre Awesu & Chinaza Nwosu | England U17s v Slovenia U17s - UEFA U17 Euro Elite Qualifier - St George's Park, 3pm GMT
Krisztián Hegyi | Hungary v Turkey - UEFA Nations League Relegation Play-Off - Puskás Aréna, Budapest, 5pm GMT
Emeka Adiele & Airidas Golambeckis | England U18s v France U18s - International Friendly - Sport Clube Freamunde, 5pm GMT
Monday 24 March
Kaelan Casey, George Earthy & Ollie Scarles | England U20s v Switzerland U20s - International Friendly - Marbella Football Centre, 7pm GMT
Tuesday 25 March
Callum Marshall | Sweden v Northern Ireland - International Friendly - Strawberry Arena, Belfast, 6pm GMT
Emeka Adiele & Airidas Golambeckis | England U18s v Portugal U18s - International Friendly - Municipal Stadium Futebol, 6pm GMT
Lewis Orford & Fin Herrick | England U19s v Portugal U19s - UEFA U19 Euro Elite Qualifier - Deeside Stadium, 7pm GMT
Lanre Awesu & Chinaza Nwosu | England U17s v Northern Ireland U17s - UEFA U17 Euro Elite Qualifier - St George's Park, 7pm GMT
Josh Briggs & Patrick Kelly | Northern Ireland U21s v Turkmenistan U21s - International Friendly - Antalya, Turkey, TBC
