West Ham United captain Jarrod Bowen has been included in the senior England men’s squad for a friendly international with Wales and a 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier against Latvia.
The Three Lions will welcome Wales to Wembley Stadium on Thursday 9 October at 7.45pm BST before they head to Riga to face Latvia on Tuesday 14 October at 7.45pm BST.
Bowen has been selected again by England manager Thomas Tuchel after making a strong start to the 2025/26 campaign.
The skipper has scored three goals in West Ham’s opening six Premier League matches, including an equaliser in Monday’s 1-1 draw at Everton. He also added an assist in the EFL Cup at Wolverhampton Wanderers in August.
Bowen finished the 2024/25 season in scintillating form, too, scoring in his final four Premier League appearances and providing five goals and three assists in West Ham’s closing six top-flight matches.
He will report to St George’s Park to join the squad on Monday as England look to secure automatic qualification after winning their opening five UEFA Group K qualifiers.
Having scored his first England goal against the Republic of Ireland last November, Bowen featured as a substitute in the 2-0 win over Albania and started the 3-0 success against Latvia in March, then appeared off the bench in the 5-0 win in Serbia in September.
England go into the two October ties seven points clear at the top of Group K with 15 points from five games, with Albania second on eight from five, Serbia third on seven from four, Latvia fourth on four from five and Andorra bottom on zero from five ties played.
The group winners will qualify directly, with the runners-up advancing to the play-offs. Therefore, a win over Latvia will secure a place at the World Cup, should Serbia and Albania draw in Leskovac next Saturday evening.
Everyone at West Ham United would like to wish Jarrod and England the best as they continue their quest to reach next summer’s World Cup finals in North America.
