**A total of 14 players from Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City first-team squad have been selected to represent their respective nations this month.**
The Premier League giants – who entered into the brand new season with fresh ambition and an urgency to right the wrongs of the last campaign – have certainly not got off to the start they would have targeted in early August.
Having dismantled Wolves on the opening weekend of the new season, Manchester City fell to back-to-back defeats in the remaining two contests that preceded the first, and now ongoing, international break.
With a 0-2 defeat at home to Tottenham, City travelled to the south coast to take on Brighton at the Amex Stadium, where Fabian Hurzeler’s men recorded a 2-1 win over Pep Guardiola’s side, despite the latter taking the lead in the first-half amid a wealth of opportunities.
Some within the squad have already indicated that the international break has come at a good time, with Rodri telling club media after their last outing that the side will need to refocus, take their mind off club duties, and return refresh for a run of challenging upcoming matches.
For the first time in the 2025/26 season, here is a comprehensive round-up of the Manchester City players selected to feature for their respective national teams throughout the opening weeks of September!
**Call-ups:** Jeremy Doku
Liechtenstein vs **Belgium**, 04/09 @ 19:45 (UK) – FIFA World Cup Qualification, UEFA, Group J
**Belgium** vs Kazakhstan, 07/09 @ 19:45 (UK) – FIFA World Cup Qualification, UEFA, Group J
**Call-ups:** Josko Gvardiol
Faroe Islands vs **Croatia**, 05/09 @ 19:45 (UK) – FIFA World Cup Qualification, UEFA, Group L
**Croatia** vs Montenegro, 08/09 @ 19:45 (UK) – FIFA World Cup Qualification, UEFA, Group L
**Call-ups:** Omar Marmoush
**Egypt** vs Ethiopia, 05/09 @ 20:00 (UK) – FIFA World Cup Qualification, CAF, Group A
Burkina Faso vs **Egypt**, 09/09 @ 17:00 (UK) – FIFA World Cup Qualification, CAF, Group A
**Call-ups:** James Trafford, John Stones
**England** vs Andorra, 06/09 @ 17:00 (UK) – FIFA World Cup Qualification, UEFA, Group K
Serbia vs **England**, 09/09 @ 19:45 (UK) – FIFA World Cup Qualification, UEFA, Group K
**Call-ups:** Gianluigi Donnarumma
**Italy** vs Estonia, 05/09 @ 19:45 (UK) – FIFA World Cup Qualification, UEFA, Group I
Israel vs **Italy**, 08/09 @ 19:45 (UK) – FIFA World Cup Qualification, UEFA, Group I
**Call-ups:** Nathan Ake, Tijjani Reijnders
**Netherlands** vs Poland, 04/09 @ 19:45 (UK) – FIFA World Cup Qualification, UEFA, Group G
Lithuania vs **Netherlands**, 07/09 @ 17:00 (UK) – FIFA World Cup Qualification, UEFA, Group G
**Call-ups:** Oscar Bobb, Erling Haaland
**Norway** vs Finland, 04/09 @ 17:00 (UK) – International Friendly
**Norway** vs Moldova, 09/09 @ 19:45 (UK) – FIFA World Cup Qualification, UEFA, Group I
**Call-ups:** Ruben Dias, Bernardo Silva
Armenia vs **Portugal**, 06/09 @ 17:00 (UK) – FIFA World Cup Qualification, UEFA, Group F
Hungary vs **Portugal**, 09/09 @ 19:45 (UK) – FIFA World Cup Qualification, UEFA, Group F
**Call-ups:** Rodri
Bulgaria vs **Spain**, 04/09 @ 19:45 (UK) – FIFA World Cup Qualification, UEFA, Group E
Turkey vs **Spain**, 07/09 @ 19:45 (UK) – FIFA World Cup Qualification, UEFA, Group E
A quartet of **Marcus Bettinelli** (England), **Stefan Ortega** (Germany), **Matheus Nunes** (Portugal), and **Nico** (Spain) have all been left out of their respective international sides, with the most-former last selected for Three Lions duties in September 2018.
As for those ruled out through injury or a lack of necessary fitness, **Kalvin Phillips** (England), **Mateo Kovacic** (Croatia), **Phil Foden** (England), and **Savinho** (Brazil) all miss out as they continue recovery work.
Five names were called-up for action by their nations, but have since withdrawn as a result of fitness assessments or new injuries; **Rayan Ait-Nouri** (Algeria), **Rico Lewis** (England), **Abdukodir Khusanov** (Uzbekistan), **Nico O’Reilly** (England), **Rayan Cherki** (France).