Wales U21s name squad for friendlies
Everton's Omari Benjamin has been promoted from Wales' Under-19s
- Published
Head coach Matt Jones has named a host of new faces in a 21-man squad ahead of Wales Under-21s upcoming friendlies against Andorra and Sweden in Spain.
Wales will use the two games as they prepare for the start of their 2027 Uefa U21 Euro qualifying campaign in September.
They will play Andorra on Thursday, 20 March before facing Sweden on Sunday, 23 March, with both games played at the Oliva Nova Sports Center in Valencia.
Amongst the 11 players hoping to make their under-21 debuts are Nottingham Forest defender Ben Hammond and Everton forward Omari Benjamin.
Cardiff's Cian Ashford and Swansea loanees Cameron Congreve and Joel Cotterill will also be returning to the squad after playing a key part in Wales' Euro 2025 qualifying campaign.
Ashford has been having an increasing role in Cardiff's survival hopes having featured in 14 of Cardiff's last 15 league games, and scoring the only goal in the Bluebirds' 1-0 FA Cup win over Sheffield United in January.
Wales have been drawn against Denmark, Belgium, Austria and Belarus in qualifying for the 2027 Uefa European Under-21 Championship
Wales Under-21s: Evan Watts, Ronnie Hollingshed, Archie Harris, Sebastian Dabrowski, Zac Williams, Callum Tripp, Benjamin Hammond, Ed James, Alex Williams, Thierry Katsukunya, Luke Harris, Owen Hampson, Joel Cotterill, Calum Agius, Joel Colwill, Cian Ashford, Ben Lloyd, Chris Popov, Omari Benjamin, Cameron Congreve, Alex Roberts