Malta head coach Emilio De Leo has continued his tenure of shaping the national team through a series of streamlined squad announcements as the 2026 FIFA World Cup European qualifiers progress, consistently trimming provisional lists down to final selections ahead of key Group G fixtures. In recent qualifying windows, De Leo has emphasized a blend of foreign-based experience and emerging domestic talent, retaining a record number of players from overseas clubs while promoting promising youngsters from the domestic league and the U21 setup. The final selections have typically been confirmed shortly before matchdays, with the team holding open training sessions at the National Football Centre in Ta’ Qali to allow fans to watch preparations and meet the players.
Across the 2025-2026 qualifying campaign, De Leo’s squads have featured a core of regulars including goalkeepers Henry Bonello, Rashed Al Tumi, and James Sissons, defenders such as Zach Muscat, Kurt Shaw, Enrico Pepe, and Ryan Camenzuli, and midfielders led by Matthew Guillaumier, Teddy Teuma, and Jake Grech. The forward line has drawn on both local experience and diaspora talent, with players like Joseph E. Mbong, Paul Mbong, Jodi Jones, Irvin Cardona, and Ilyas Chouaref appearing in recent call-ups. One of the recurring themes of De Leo’s selections has been the integration of youth, with Valletta FC’s Keyon Ewurum — born in 2007 — repeatedly noted as the youngest member of the squad and a notable inclusion even when not part of initial provisional lists.
While recent official announcements have covered qualifiers against Lithuania, the Netherlands, Finland, and Poland, as well as friendly fixtures and UEFA Nations League play-offs, published squad lists for the current cycle do not reference qualifiers against Slovakia or Azerbaijan, nor do they include a player named Cannavo in the final selections available from the Malta Football Association. De Leo has made history by retaining all nine foreign-based players in one of the largest overseas contingents ever selected for Malta, and has used the qualifying campaign to develop depth ahead of future tournaments. With crucial points at stake in Group G, the streamlined squads have been tasked with making a strong impact as Malta continues building under De Leo’s tenure, balancing defensive organization with the gradual introduction of new attacking options drawn from both the domestic league and clubs across Europe.
