Five Leeds United players miss out on international duty as Dan James unavailable but impressive star snubbed

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It’s the October international break but some of Leeds United’s jet-setting stars won’t be playing for their countries over the next fortnight.

With the 2026 World Cup quickly approaching, qualifiers are starting to heat up as teams do all they can to ensure they qualify for the world’s most prestigious competition.

Ao Tanaka and Brenden Aaronson’s nations have already qualified, and the Leeds United pair have also returned to the Japan and USA squads, respectively, this month after missing out in September.

Joe Rodon and Ethan Ampadu are also back in international action, with the likes of Gabriel Gudmundsson, Jaka Bijol and Karl Darlow keeping their spots.

However, not all of Leeds’ internationals have made it and here is who has missed out.

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Dan James – Wales

Dan James had an injury-tormented start to the season and has only managed to start three Premier League games so far.

Now he is expected to be out of action until the November international break after rolling his ankle in training.

Craig Bellamy still called James up this month, but he won’t play in their friendly vs England or qualifier against Belgium.

Noah Okafor – Switzerland

Surprisingly, Noah Okafor has been omitted from the Switzerland squad for the second successive time.

The forward is looking bright at Elland Road and already has two Premier League goals but has not been called up for the qualifiers vs Sweden and Slovenia.

Okafor has 24 caps for his country but hasn’t played since November last year.

Willy Gnonto – Italy U21s

Like James, Willy Gnonto is also sidelined, which has left Leeds very short on attacking options.

The winger has missed games with troublesome calf issues and has missed out on playing for Italy U21s as a result.

Sebastiaan Bornauw – Belgium

Unsurprisingly, given he is yet to see a single minute of Premier League action, Sebastiaan Bornauw has not been selected by Belgium for games against North Macedonia and Wales.

The centre-back’s last international appearance came in 2023.

Harry Gray – England U17s

Young striker Harry Gray has also been dealing with some injury issues this season and missed out on facing his brother’s Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday.

He is not in the England U17s squad this month as a result of his latest knock.