Nine Schalke players called up for international duty

Elsewhere, Mertcan Ayhan will be involved in qualifiers for the U21 European Championsships, with Hwang Hee Chan and Satoshi Tanaka taking on a trio of South American sides in a selection of friendly matches. Find an overview of the upcoming matches for the nine Schalke internationals below.

Edin Džeko prepares for Bosnia swan song

Edin Džeko and Nikola Katic were both named in Bosnia and Herzegovina’s squad for their upcoming matches in Group 4 of League B of the UEFA Nations League. There are two clashes with Poland on the agenda for the side that reached the last 16 at this summer’s World Cup, while they face off against Romania and Sweden in their other two matches.

An emotional farewell awaits Edin Džeko. Following an announcement earlier this month, the 40-year-old striker, who has 151 caps and bagged 73 goals for Bosnia and Herzegovina, will make his final appearance for his country in their match against Sweden. He won’t feature in the first two fixtures of the international break. Bosnia and Herzegovina’s record appearance holder made his bow on the international stage in 2007 in a European qualifier against Turkey.

Adamu and Wöber return to international action

Junior Adamu and Maximilian Wöber will also be involved in the UEFA Nations League during the international break. The two Austrians have earned recalls to the national team set-up thanks to recent impressive performances for Schalke. Austria, who find themselves in Group 3 of League B, will take on Kosovo twice over the next three weeks.

Austria will also come up against Israel and Ireland. Adamu was last on the ball for his country in November 2024, whereas Wöber’s most recent appearance for Ralf Rangnick’s side came in June 2025.

Aouchiche and El-Faouzi’s sights set on AFCON

Adil Aouchiche will be part of Algeria’s plans as the second stage of their qualification campaign gets underway ahead of the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations. Their first two opponents in Group I are Zambia and Burundi. The Fennecs will also play a friendly against Niger to round off the international break.

Soufiane El-Faouzi also has his sights set on qualifying for AFCON and could make his competitive debut for Morocco soon. The midfielder, who has covered the most distance of any Bundesliga player this season, has only played in a friendly for his country so far. The Atlas Lions will face off against Gabon and Lesotho, as well as play a friendly against Ghana.

Hwang and Tanaka in action against three South American sides

Hwang Hee Chan and South Korea have arranged fixtures against three teams from South America. The 2002 World Cup hosts will take on Ecuador, Venezuela and Uruguay. Schalke’s latest arrival will also play a fourth and final match of the international break against Uzbekistan.

Satoshi Tanaka and the Japan national team will also be tested by the same three sides: Ueuguay, Venezuela and Ecuador. The Samurai Blue’s fourth opponent is yet to be confirmed, with either Panama or New Zealand in line to play Japan.

Ayhan looking to book spot at U21 EUROs

Mertcan Ayhan has two decisive qualifiers for the U21 European Championships to look forward to. The Turkey youth side will go toe-to-toe with Ukraine and Hungary. With a tally of eleven points from six games, the Schalke centre-back and his side currently occupy second place in Group H. Croatia currently lead the way with 13 points to their name. The nine group winners and the best second-placed side will qualify directly for next summer’s tournament, which is being hosted by Albania and Serbia. The four other places will be determined by play-offs between the eight other runners-up.

Moussa Sylla, who was originally called up for Mali, will not join up with the national team following discussions with head coach Anthony Da Silva.