14 Manchester City players selected for international duty – 12 names excluded

A total of 14 players from Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City first-team squad have been selected to represent their respective nations in October.

The latest pause for international commitments perhaps comes at a difficult time for Manchester City, breaking up a run of consistency in terms of performance standards and results since the last break.

Across all competitions, Pep Guardiola’s side have remained unbeaten since the conclusion of the September international break, recording crucial victories over the likes of Manchester United and Brentford in the Premier League, as well as a resilient showing away to Arsenal.

Elsewhere in other competitions, there has been a relatively strong start to the UEFA Champions League with a win and a draw against Napoli and AS Monaco respectively, while the Carabao Cup has seen progression into round four with a win over Huddersfield Town.

One positive is the opportunity for players not selected for duties with their countries to respect and recuperate ahead of a return to club action later this month, while allowing for injured names to work solely on their recovery plans.

Now, for the second time in the ongoing 2025/26 season, here is a comprehensive round-up of the Manchester City players selected to feature for their respective national teams throughout the opening weeks of October!

Belgium

Call-ups: Jeremy Doku

Belgium vs North Macedonia, 10/10 @ 19:45 (UK) – FIFA World Cup Qualification, UEFA, Group J

Wales vs Belgium, 13/10 @ 19:45 (UK) – FIFA World Cup Qualification, UEFA, Group J

Croatia

Call-ups: Josko Gvardiol

Czech Republic vs Croatia, 09/10 @ 19:45 (UK) – FIFA World Cup Qualification, UEFA, Group L

Croatia vs Gibraltar, 12/10 @ 19:45 (UK) – FIFA World Cup Qualification, UEFA, Group L

England

Call-ups: James Trafford, John Stones, Nico O’Reilly

England vs Wales, 09/10 @ 19:45 (UK) – International Friendly

Latvia vs England, 14/10 @ 19:45 (UK) – FIFA World Cup Qualification, UEFA, Group K

England U21

Call-ups: Rico Lewis

Moldova U21 vs England U21, 10/10 @ 17:00 (UK) – U21 EURO Qualification, Group 4

England U21 vs Andorra U21, 13/10 @ 19:45 (UK) – U21 EURO Qualification, Group 4

Italy

Call-ups: Gianluigi Donnarumma

Estonia vs Italy, 11/10 @ 19:45 (UK) – FIFA World Cup Qualification, UEFA, Group I

Italy vs Israel, 14/10 @ 19:45 (UK) – FIFA World Cup Qualification, UEFA, Group I

Netherlands

Call-ups: Nathan Ake, Tijjani Reijnders

Malta vs Netherlands, 09/10 @ 19:45 (UK) – FIFA World Cup Qualification, UEFA, Group G

Netherlands vs Finland, 12/10 @ 17:00 (UK) – FIFA World Cup Qualification, UEFA, Group G

Norway

Call-ups: Oscar Bobb, Erling Haaland

Norway vs Israel, 11/10 @ 17:00 (UK) – FIFA World Cup Qualification, UEFA, Group I

Norway vs New Zealand, 14/10 @ 17:00 (UK) – International Friendly

Portugal

Call-ups: Matheus Nunes, Ruben Dias, Bernardo Silva

Portugal vs Ireland, 11/10 @ 19:45 (UK) – FIFA World Cup Qualification, UEFA, Group F

Portugal vs Hungary, 14/10 @ 19:45 (UK) – FIFA World Cup Qualification, UEFA, Group F

Making up the list of Manchester City names not selected due to retirement from international football or simple selections decisions are: Marcus Bettinelli, Stefan Ortega Moreno, Kalvin Phillips, Nico Gonzalez, Phil Foden, and Savinho.

As for the names absent from duties for their respective countries due to fitness and injury problems: Abdukodir Khusanov, Rayan Ait-Nouri, Rodri, Mateo Kovacic, Rayan Cherki, and Omar Marmoush.