Internationals | Cunha returns to Brazil fold | Club | News

18th March 2025

Brazilian duo Matheus Cunha and Andre are amongst 13 Wolves players on international duty over the coming week.

After Saturday’s win over Southampton, many of Vitor Pereira’s side have now departed for international duty, with World Cup and AFCON qualifiers, as well as the Nations League, taking centre stage.

On the back of his 15 goals this season, Cunha has earned a first senior Brazil call up as a Wolves player, and he’s joined by teammate Andre in the national team squad.

The duo will hope to feature for Brazil in their World Cup qualifiers against Columbia in Brasilia and Argentina in Buenos Aires, which take place either side of the weekend. Brazil look set for the World Cup after 12 games, but can overtake Colombia with victory and make ground on group leaders Argentina.

In the same group is Santiago Bueno and Uruguay. Marcelo Bielsa has called up the Wolves man for qualifiers with Argentina in Montevideo and Bolivia in La Paz. Uruguay are currently second in the qualifying group, five points behind leaders Argentina.

The Asian nations are also in World Cup 2026 qualifying action and Hee Chan Hwang has now linked up with the South Korea squad. They take on Oman on Thursday and Jordan the following Tuesday, and they sit pretty at the top of group B currently with 14 points after an unbeaten start.

Likewise, the African countries are also in AFCON qualification action. Ivory Coast are unbeaten in their first four matches and Emmanuel Agbadou has earned his first call up as a Wolves player. They face Burundi and Gambia over the international weekend.

Like Ivory Coast, Algeria are also top of their qualifying group after four matches. They can strengthen their position further the next week and have called up Rayan Ait-Nouri for their qualifiers with Botswana and Mozambique.

Burkina Faso are third in their qualifying group, and Nasser Djiga has been included in their squad. They take on Djibouti and Guinea Bissau and will hope to make up ground on Guinea Bissau and Egypt above them.

Marshall Munetsi’s Zimbabwe are also in World Cup qualifying action, and they’ll hope to move off the bottom of their group with positive results against Benin and Nigeria.

In Europe, the Nations League returns for some countries, with both Portugal and the Republic of Ireland involved. Jose Sa and Nelson Semedo link up with Portugal, whose quarter finals with Denmark takes place away from home on Thursday and in Lisbon on Sunday.

Doherty is back in the Irish frame and they face a Nations League play-off and take on Bulgaria home and away in the space of four days.

Finally, both Rodrigo Gomes and Carlos Forbs have both been included in Portugal’s under-21 group. They have a pair of friendlies ahead of them, against Romania in Famalicao and England at the Hawthorns.

Brazil | Matheus Cunha & Andre