West Ham United Academy defender Rayan Oyebade has been called up to Greece’s U19s squad for three UEFA European U19 Championship qualifiers this month.
The 18-year-old centre-back, born to a Greek mother and Nigerian father, will represent the country of his mother’s birth for the first time. He previously featured for England at U15s level, just a year after being introduced to Academy footbal at Chadwell Heath. Prior to joining West Ham United, Oyebade played grassroots football in north London for Broadwater Farm and Focus Football.
The young Hammer signed his first professional contract in April this year, before leading the U18s out in the Premier League Cup final where they defeated Reading 2-1 at the Select Car Leasing Stadium three weeks later.
This season, Oyebade has made the transition into the U21s development squad where he has made nine appearances in all competitions so far.
Oyebade and his Greece teammates have been drawn in Group 3 for the first round of their U19 European qualifying campaign. They will face Belarus on Wednesday 12 November (10am), Liechtenstein on Saturday 15 November (10am), and hosts Türkiye on Tuesday 18 November (1pm).
The top two teams in each group, along with the best third-place side, will join top seeds Spain in the elite round draw on 10 December. The elite round, to be played in spring 2026, will decide the seven nations joining hosts Wales at the finals, scheduled from 28 June to 11 July next year.
