England U19 Squad named for the 2027 U19 EURO Qualifiers

England U19 managed by Ben Futcher, will continue their qualification campaign for the 2027 UEFA European Under-19 Championship during the November international break. The Young Lions will travel to Austria for the second qualifying round, with three fixtures against Slovenia, Belarus and the hosts on the schedule. Their opening game will take place on Wednesday, 11 November at 12pm GMT against Slovenia in Linz. England will then face Belarus on Saturday, 14 November at 12pm at the same venue, before rounding off their campaign against Austria on Tuesday, 17 November at 1pm at Wiener Neustädter Stadium.

Encouraging first round despite second-place finish

Ben Futcher’s side head into the second round after finishing second in their group during the first qualifying round, which was held in October. Drawn alongside Spain, Bulgaria and Croatia, England recorded two wins and one defeat to finish behind the Spanish in the standings.

The Young Lions made a perfect start to the camp with a 4-1 victory over Bulgaria, with Chizaram Ezenwata scoring twice, alongside goals from Reigan Heskey and Lorenz Hutchinson, who is not included in the latest squad. England then suffered a 3-1 defeat to Spain, despite another goal from Ezenwata. They ended the first round on a positive note, however, beating Croatia 2-0 thanks to a goal from Dean Benamar and an own goal.

Despite the defeat to Spain, England’s second-place finish has not affected their hopes of progressing further in the competition. Under the new qualifying format, the top three teams from each first-round group advance to the second phase. England therefore remain firmly in contention for a place at the finals, with one player standing out during the previous camp: Chizaram Ezenwata. The Chelsea forward scored three goals in three games and will once again be one of the players to watch in this squad.

A new qualifying format for the U19 EURO

The 2027 edition also sees the introduction of a new qualifying system for the European Under-19 Championship. Inspired by the format already used at U17 level, the new system consists of three rounds, with teams split between League A and League B. For the first round, nations are placed into the two leagues based on their results in the previous U17 qualifying campaign. Teams then compete in groups of four in mini-tournament format, with the results determining promotion and relegation between the two leagues for the next phase.

The second round, taking place this November, follows the same principle. The League A teams are divided into seven groups of four and must finish in the top three to continue their campaign. The bottom team in each group is eliminated. In League B, the group winners earn promotion to League A for the third and final round, while the remaining teams are eliminated from the competition.

Finally, the third round will bring together the 28 highest-ranked nations in seven groups of four, in a format similar to the former elite round. Only the group winners will qualify for the finals, which will be hosted by the Czech Republic, who qualify automatically as hosts. For England, the objective is therefore clear: finish in the top three in their group in Austria to reach the final qualifying round and keep their hopes of reaching the 2027 U19 EURO alive.

Three new players in Ben Futcher’s squad

For the second round, Ben Futcher has selected a 21-man squad. The squad retains much of the group involved in the previous camp, while also including three new faces.

The first is Yuel Helafu. The Manchester United defender, who has previously represented England at U18 level, steps up to the U19s for the first time. He is joined by Manchester City midfielder Dexter Oliver and Liverpool forward William Wright. Neither player has previously been called up to an England youth side, meaning they will both make their Young Lions debuts during this camp.

The remainder of the squad continues the work of the October camp, with several players already established within this age group. Kaden Braithwaite, Reggie Walsh, Ryan McAidoo, Luca Williams-Barnett and Reigan Heskey are all included once again. Chizaram Ezenwata is also part of the squad following an excellent previous camp, having scored three goals in as many games.