Six players from the JD Cymru Leagues earned international call-ups over the last fortnight – recap how they all got on below.Â
Kit Margetson and Luke Armstrong – Cymru U21
The two young goalkeepers were once again called up to Matty Jones’ squad for a pair of UEFA Under-21 EURO 2027 qualifying matches.
Connah’s Quay Nomads shot-stopper Margetson, on loan from Swansea City, made his Cymru U21 debut against Belarus at Rodney Parade last Friday and kept a clean sheet to help the team claim a 2-0 victory. However, the 19-year-old then dropped to the bench and was unused substitute for the 4-0 defeat away in Denmark on Tuesday.
Armstrong, on loan at Penybont from Cardiff City, was not included in the matchday squad for either fixture.
Cymru U21 now sit fourth in their qualifying group with six points from six games – trailing the top three of Belgium, Austria and Denmark who are all level on 10 points.
Abdi Sharif and Mo Ali – Somalia
The Connah’s Quay Nomads midfielder and Rhyl 1879 defender were both involved as their country made history over the last week.
Somalia faced Mauritius in a two-legged tie in the preliminary round of qualifying for AFCON 2027. Both legs finished goalless, before Somalia triumphed on penalties to progress to the group stage of qualification for the first time in their history. Sharif and Ali both started the first leg at home last Friday, while Sharif kept his place for the away second leg on Tuesday but Ali dropped to the bench.Â
The East African nation, ranked 198th in the world, will now be drawn into a qualification group with some of the biggest nations in the continent, with games to be played in September, October and November.
Theo Wharton – St Kitts & Nevis
Having not featured for his country since September 2024, the Barry Town United midfielder earned a recall to the St Kitts & Nevis squad as they competed in the 2026 FIFA Series – an invitational tournament that features friendly matches between national teams from different continental confederations.
The Caribbean nation took part in the Indonesia edition in Jakarta, with Wharton coming off the bench in the 69th minute in a 4-0 defeat to the hosts last Friday. The 31-year-old then started and completed 90 minutes as the Sugar Boyz triumphed 4-2 over The Solomon Islands on Monday to claim third place in the Series. Wharton now has 23 international caps to his name.
Panashe Makwiramiti – Zimbabwe
The Haverfordwest County midfielder was called up to the Zimbabwe squad for the first time as they competed in the Mukuru Four Nations Tournament, a friendly competition involving Southern African sides.
The Warriors ended up lifting the trophy, as Makwiramiti made his debut off the bench for the last 10 minutes of the 3-0 Semi-Final win against hosts Botswana on Saturday, before he was an unused substitute in the 1-0 victory against Zambia in the Final on Tuesday.
