Five Crystal Palace Academy players are away on international duty during the May window, with senior international debuts for Jesurun Rak-Sakyi and Tayo Adaramola among the standout stories.
Elsewhere, Charlie Walker-Smith is continuing preparations for this summer’s UEFA European Under-19 Championship on home soil, while Dean Benamar is representing England Under-18s during their tour of Cyprus ahead of the 2026/27 U19 EURO qualifiers.
Find out more, below!
Jesurun Rak-Sakyi made his long-awaited senior debut for Ghana during their international friendly against Mexico in Puebla on Saturday, featuring from the start for the Black Stars in a 2–0 defeat.
The winger was handed a starting role as Ghana continued preparations for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, marking another important milestone in Rak-Sakyi’s development after switching international allegiance from England.
The 23-year-old came close to announcing himself in spectacular fashion shortly after half-time, crashing a powerful effort against the crossbar as Ghana searched for a route back into the contest. He was later replaced on 66 minutes by Razak Simpson.
Rak-Sakyi’s first senior international call-up followed a productive second half of the season on loan at Stoke City, where he made 15 appearances after arriving in January and scored against Oxford United and Sheffield Wednesday.
Selected by head coach Carlos Queiroz as part of Ghana’s preparations for this summer’s FIFA World Cup, Rak-Sakyi is competing for a place in the final tournament squad, which is due to be announced on Monday, 1st June.
Ghana have been drawn into Group L alongside England, Croatia and Panama.
Tayo Adaramola made his senior international debut for the Republic of Ireland in their 5–0 friendly victory over Grenada at the Enrique Roca Stadium in Murcia the Saturday before last (16th May).
The 22-year-old defender was included in Heimir Hallgrímsson’s squad for their warm-weather training camp in Spain, with the head coach using the fixture to integrate emerging talent into the senior set-up.
Ireland started brightly and controlled the game through an aggressive press, with Adaramola involved in the early stages as the team applied sustained pressure in the final third. Grenada were kept under constant pressure throughout, with Ireland’s intensity in and out of possession dictating the tempo of the match.
Adaramola was withdrawn at half-time as part of a series of changes, with Ireland going on to secure a comfortable victory to round off their training camp.
The debut marks another step in the defender's development after joining Sheffield Wednesday on loan in January, where he made 15 starts in 16 appearances following a spell with Leyton Orient earlier in the campaign.
Palace Under-21s ‘keeper Owen Goodman has been called up to the Canada senior national team training camp in Charlotte ahead of the announcement of their FIFA World Cup 2026 squad.
The 22-year-old arrives into camp following another important season of senior development, having spent the campaign on loan in League One with Huddersfield Town and Barnsley.
Goodman began the season with Huddersfield, making 12 appearances and keeping four clean sheets, before joining Barnsley in January for the remainder of the campaign.
The Palace Academy graduate quickly established himself as first-choice 'keeper at Oakwell, starting 22 of the 25 matches he was eligible for and recording five clean sheets as Barnsley secured a comfortable 15th-place finish, ending the season 10 points clear of the relegation zone.
His latest call-up continues a strong upward trajectory following last season’s promotion-winning campaign with AFC Wimbledon in League Two.
The Canada camp began on Monday (25th May), with head coach Jesse Marsch set to announce the nation’s official FIFA World Cup 2026 squad on Friday, 29th May.
Canada will then play pre-tournament send-off fixtures against Uzbekistan on Monday, 1st June in Edmonton and the Republic of Ireland on Friday, 5th June in Montréal.
Drawn into Group B at the FIFA World Cup 2026 draw last December, Canada are set to face Bosnia and Herzegovina, Qatar and Switzerland in the tournament’s group stage.
Under-18s centre-back Charlie Walker-Smith was called up to the Wales Under-19s training camp at Colliers Park, held from Monday (18th May) to Wednesday (20th May), as preparations continue for this summer’s UEFA U19 European Championship in north Wales.
The camp forms part of an extended development cycle for the age group, with Walker-Smith continuing his involvement across multiple international windows over the past year, including preparatory tournaments and training camps in Marbella and Spain.
He is working under head coach Chris Gunter, who recently took charge of the age group, as Wales build towards hosting the U19 EURO Finals for the first time.
Palace Under-18s defender Dean Benamar has been named in the England U18s squad for their upcoming fixtures against Greece and Cyprus later this month.
Head coach Ben Futcher has selected a 23-player squad for the camp, with the Young Lions travelling to Cyprus to conclude their 2025/26 campaign.
England will first face Greece on Thursday, 28th May (10:30 BST) at the Dasaki Achnas Stadium near Larnaca, before taking on hosts Cyprus at the same venue on Sunday, 31st May (15:30 BST).
The squad will then move into the 2026/27 campaign and preparations for the UEFA European Under-19 Championship qualifiers later this year, having already secured their place in League A following March’s qualifying fixtures.
Benamar played an important role during that international window, scoring as England U18s recorded a 2-0 victory over Croatia to confirm progression to the next stage of qualification for the aforementioned European Championships.
Congratulations, Dean!
All times are UK.
Republic of Ireland – Tayo Adaramola
Ghana - Jesurun Rak-Sakyi
Wales Under-19s – Charlie Walker-Smith
England U18s - Dean Benamar
