Academy internationals: Euro qualifiers for Young Eagles trio as Majni steps up

Club

3 hours ago

Four Crystal Palace Academy players have been selected for international duty this November, with Lucca Benetton and Dean Benamar representing England, Taha Majni earning a step up with Morocco Under-23s and Alfie Mulvenna returning to Northern Ireland’s Under-17s.

First-year scholar Benetton returns to the England U17s squad for their opening round of 2026/27 UEFA European U17 Championship qualifying, hosted at St. George’s Park.

The Young Lions – led by head coach Barry Lewtas – will face Montenegro (11th November), Poland (14th November) and Ukraine (17th November), with the top two progressing to the second qualifying round next spring.

Benetton made his England U17s debut in September, keeping a clean sheet in an impressive 1-0 victory over Venezuela.

He has continued to make his mark at Palace, featuring regularly for Javier Alonso’s U18s and travelling with the first team for recent European away fixtures against Lyon and Beşiktaş. He was subsequently named in the matchday squad to face Hoffenheim before making his U21s debut against Everton.

Benamar has also earned selection for England, joining Ben Futcher’s U19s for the second qualifying round of the UEFA European Under-19 Championship.

The Young Lions travel to Austria for a three-game group campaign against Slovenia (11th November), Belarus (14th November) and the hosts (17th November), with a place in the next stage at stake.

The defender has enjoyed an impressive spell with Darren Powell’s U21s, featuring in the emphatic league victory over Leeds United before helping the Young Eagles make Academy history against Newport County, securing their first-ever place in the EFL Trophy knockout stages.

Like Benetton, Benamar has also travelled with the first team for their European away fixtures against Lyon and Beşiktaş.

Meanwhile, Majni has earned a step up to Morocco U23s following his involvement with the U20s last month.

The 18-year-old will join the U23 squad for a two-legged AFCON qualifying tie against Ethiopia, as Morocco continue their bid to reach the 2027 finals in Ghana. The competition also forms part of the qualification pathway for the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.

Majni captained Morocco U20s during the previous international break, featuring in a goalless draw against Tunisia before an injury ruled him out of the remainder of their qualifying campaign.

Since arriving at Palace over the summer, the centre-back has settled quickly into life in south London, establishing himself on the right of Powell’s U21 back three and playing his part in the side’s historic EFL Trophy progression.

Finally, Mulvenna has been selected for Northern Ireland U17s as they begin their qualifying campaign for the 2027 UEFA European U17 Championship.

The 16-year-old centre-back – who joined Palace from Larne FC over the summer as a first-year scholar – will travel to Germany for a three-game mini-tournament against Lithuania (11th November), Azerbaijan (14th November) and the hosts (17th November).

Mulvenna will be looking to build on his last international outing, having scored Northern Ireland’s goal in a 4-1 defeat against Sweden during the previous international break.

Keep track of how our Academy players get on this international window below!

All times are UK.

England Under-17s - Lucca Benetton

Wednesday, 11th November (14:00 GMT): England U17s v Montenegro U17s
Saturday, 14th November (14:00 GMT): England U17s v Poland U17s
Tuesday, 17th November (18:30 GMT): England U17s v Ukraine U17s

England Under-19s - Dean Benamar

Wednesday, 11th November (12:00 GMT): England U19s v Slovenia
Saturday, 14th November (KO: 12:00 GMT): England U19s v Belarus
Tuesday, 17th November (KO: 13:00 GMT): England U19s v Austria

Morocco Under-23s - Taha Majni

Thursday, 12th November (12:00 GMT): Morocco U23s v Ethopia U23s
Tuesday, 17th November (14:30 GMT): Ethopia U23s v Morocco U23s

Northern Ireland Under-17s - Alfie Mulvenna

Wednesday, 11th November (15:30 GMT): Northern Ireland U17s v Lithuania U17s
Saturday, 14th November (15:30 GMT): Northern Ireland U17s v Azerbaijan U17s
Tuesday, 17th November (10:00 GMT): Northern Ireland U17s v Germany U17s

Related News

More News