****A total of 14 players from Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City first-team squad have been selected to represent their respective nations in October.****
The latest pause for international commitments perhaps comes at a difficult time for Manchester City, breaking up a run of consistency in terms of performance standards and results since the last break.
Across all competitions, Pep Guardiola’s side have remained unbeaten since the conclusion of the September international break, recording crucial victories over the likes of Manchester United and Brentford in the Premier League, as well as a resilient showing away to Arsenal.
Elsewhere in other competitions, there has been a relatively strong start to the UEFA Champions League with a win and a draw against Napoli and AS Monaco respectively, while the Carabao Cup has seen progression into round four with a win over Huddersfield Town.
One positive is the opportunity for players not selected for duties with their countries to respect and recuperate ahead of a return to club action later this month, while allowing for injured names to work solely on their recovery plans.
Now, for the second time in the ongoing 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 October!
**Call-ups:** Jeremy Doku
**Belgium** vs North Macedonia, 10/10 @ 19:45 (UK) – FIFA World Cup Qualification, UEFA, Group J
Wales vs **Belgium**, 13/10 @ 19:45 (UK) – FIFA World Cup Qualification, UEFA, Group J
**Call-ups:** Josko Gvardiol
Czech Republic vs **Croatia**, 09/10 @ 19:45 (UK) – FIFA World Cup Qualification, UEFA, Group L
**Croatia** vs Gibraltar, 12/10 @ 19:45 (UK) – FIFA World Cup Qualification, UEFA, Group L
**Call-ups:** James Trafford, John Stones, Nico O’Reilly
**England** vs Wales, 09/10 @ 19:45 (UK) – International Friendly
Latvia vs **England**, 14/10 @ 19:45 (UK) – FIFA World Cup Qualification, UEFA, Group K
**Call-ups:** Rico Lewis
Moldova U21 vs **England U21**, 10/10 @ 17:00 (UK) – U21 EURO Qualification, Group 4
**England U21** vs Andorra U21, 13/10 @ 19:45 (UK) – U21 EURO Qualification, Group 4
**Call-ups:** Gianluigi Donnarumma
Estonia vs **Italy**, 11/10 @ 19:45 (UK) – FIFA World Cup Qualification, UEFA, Group I
**Italy** vs Israel, 14/10 @ 19:45 (UK) – FIFA World Cup Qualification, UEFA, Group I
**Call-ups:** Nathan Ake, Tijjani Reijnders
Malta vs **Netherlands**, 09/10 @ 19:45 (UK) – FIFA World Cup Qualification, UEFA, Group G
**Netherlands** vs Finland, 12/10 @ 17:00 (UK) – FIFA World Cup Qualification, UEFA, Group G
**Call-ups:** Oscar Bobb, Erling Haaland
**Norway** vs Israel, 11/10 @ 17:00 (UK) – FIFA World Cup Qualification, UEFA, Group I
**Norway** vs New Zealand, 14/10 @ 17:00 (UK) – International Friendly
**Call-ups:** Matheus Nunes, Ruben Dias, Bernardo Silva
**Portugal** vs Ireland, 11/10 @ 19:45 (UK) – FIFA World Cup Qualification, UEFA, Group F
**Portugal** vs Hungary, 14/10 @ 19:45 (UK) – FIFA World Cup Qualification, UEFA, Group F
Making up the list of Manchester City names not selected due to retirement from international football or simple selections decisions are: Marcus Bettinelli, Stefan Ortega Moreno, Kalvin Phillips, Nico Gonzalez, Phil Foden, and Savinho.
As for the names absent from duties for their respective countries due to fitness and injury problems: Abdukodir Khusanov, Rayan Ait-Nouri, Rodri, Mateo Kovacic, Rayan Cherki, and Omar Marmoush.