Academy starlets Golambeckis and Landers set to face off in Euro U19 qualifying

At 10am GMT on Tuesday morning, West Ham United Academy duo Airidas Golambeckis and Josh Landers are set to go head-to-head in 2026 UEFA European Under-19 Championship qualifying action when England face Scotland in Lithuania.

Used to duelling on the training pitches in east London, the U18 Premier League Cup winning pair will face each other for the first time competitively when they take to the field in Raudondvaris in a must-win game for Scotland.

The stakes couldn’t be higher for Landers’ Scotland. After a draw and a defeat from their two games so far, a win would almost certainly guarantee them a spot in the elite qualifying round, either as runners-up in Group 8, should second-place Lithuania fail to beat bottom side Latvia, or as the best third-place team.

“Obviously it will be a tough test,” Landers said. “Airidas [Golambeckis] is a really good player. Being our captain for the 21s I’m used to having him on my side, so it will be a little bit strange to be playing against him but I’m looking forward to the challenge!

“We know England are a good side and have a lot of quality players, but we are approaching it like we approach every game.

“We dominated the first two games and things didn’t go our way with the results, but with a win here we have a solid chance of progressing. We have a good group, we’re all close and I know all of our boys will be up for it and ready to go come kick-off.”

For Golambeckis and his England U19s teammates, Tuesday’s game will be a free hit, having already secured qualification to the elite qualifying round after victories over hosts Lithuania and Latvia.

Nonetheless, Will Antwi’s table-toppers will be looking to keep their unbeaten record intact when they face Scotland. So far this season, England U19s are undefeated, winning seven out of their eight games, scoring 16 goals in those wins while conceding just three.

“We’ve had two great games so far with no goals conceded,” Golambeckis reflected. “We know Scotland need a win but we will just continue to do what we have in the first two games. The objective is to win the group with a 100 per cent record, so although we’ve secured qualification, it’s very important for us to win the game.”

Out of the 29 players used by lead coach Antwi this season, only Liverpool’s Trey Nyoni and Chelsea’s Shim Mheuka have played more minutes for their country than our U21s captain. After featuring on the bench in the Young Lions’ second qualifier, the 18-year-old centre-back will be eager to start and go up against his West Ham counterpart leading the line for Scotland.

“I’m really looking forward to playing against Josh [Landers],” Golambeckis continued. “It will be a tough game, knowing they have to win to get a chance to qualify, so we’re up for it. It will definitely be weird facing up against Josh, being so close with him and training with him every day. Josh is very physical and is very good in the air, so any crosses in the box or set-pieces we will have to be alert. It will be fun!”

Not only will it be a unique occasion for Golambeckis in terms of opposition, but also in regards to venue. The young centre-back was born to Lithuanian parents and captained the Baltic nation at U16s level.

He said: “It feels amazing being back in my family’s country! I’ve had many memories here and it feels great to see most of my family come down and watch me play. I’ve been welcomed here with a lot of love and Lithuania will always hold a special place in my heart.”

Golambeckis and Landers are just two of ten Academy players in action this month for their countries at youth level. U18s captain Callum Leacock and Rayan Oyebade have already guaranteed themselves a spot in the elite qualifying round with a game to spare with Northern Ireland U19s and Greece U19s respectively.

Elsewhere, Josh Briggs (Northern Ireland U21s), Fin Herrick (England U20s), Lewis Orford (England U20s), Josh Ajala (England U20s), Lanre Awesu (England U17s) and Isaac Thomas (Wales U17s) have also been in action during the international break. Herrick's fine form was rewarded with a call-up to the England U21s squad on Monday.

Speaking on Academy representation in Tuesday morning’s qualifier, Golambeckis said: “I think everyone at West Ham is very proud to see two Academy players coming up against each other and representing their countries. It shows what a strong Academy we have, full of players representing their countries at different levels.”

Landers added: “I think it’s a credit to the Academy. It shows how well we’re doing at the moment, not just me and Airidas, but everybody around the Academy. Hopefully I get can get one on him and help our chances to qualify, as well as taking the bragging rights back to Rush Green!”

UEFA European U19 Championship Qualifying Group 8