West Ham United Academy midfielder Gabriel Caliste has been called up once more to the Mauritius national team for their final two 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.
The 18-year-old first represented the African island nation in September 2024, making his senior international debut in a goalless draw against India in Hyderabad.
Since then, he has featured in friendly fixtures against Syria and Hong Kong, and at the COSAFA Cup, a summer tournament for members of the Southern African Football Association.
His competitive debut came last month in CAF World Cup qualifying Group D, during a 2-0 home defeat to top-of-the-table Cape Verde, who are on the verge of securing qualification to the finals for the first time in their history. Caliste then played 59 minutes of a 3-1 away loss to Angola, later in the September 2025 international window.
Mauritius - who are fifth in the six-team table and unable to qualify - are now set to host second-place Cameroon, at 2pm BST on Wednesday 8 October, and third-place Libya, at 5pm BST on Monday 13 October, both of whom are still battling to keep their World Cup hopes alive. Both fixtures are due to be staged at a sold out Côte d’Or National Sports Complex.
Caliste will travel to Mauritius on Monday and join up with the 28-man squad which includes Mauritian-born players as well as expats, including former Ipswich Town defender Kévin Bru.
The young Hammer signed his first professional contract in January this year, becoming the first Mauritian ever to sign for a Premier League club. He is part of Mark Robson’s development squad. In his first season with our U21s, he has so far made six appearances, four in Premier League 2 and two in the Vertu Trophy.
