The NFL Academy in the United Kingdom has revealed its schedule and roster for the 2026-2027 academic year, with a new season featuring major international matchups and 70 student-athletes from 21 different countries. 🏈🌍
Based in Loughborough, England, the academy welcomes young talents from around the world and provides a pathway combining full-time education with intensive American football training under the supervision of a specialized coaching staff.
🏈 Season Opener Against an American Team
The NFL Academy will begin its season on August 20, when it hosts Marietta High School from Georgia at its Loughborough base.
The Blue Devils will travel more than 4,000 miles for their first game of the 2026 season, with the matchup set to be streamed live on the NFL UK & Ireland YouTube channel. 📺🔥
The academy will then travel to the United States for two consecutive games in Ohio: against Archbishop Hoban High School in Akron on August 28 and Massillon High School on September 4.
Both teams are regarded among the most successful high school American football programs in the state, giving academy players valuable exposure to high-level competition.
🌍 International Matchups in England and Europe
On October 6, the academy returns to Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London to face Mexico’s Friendship Bowl Academy in the second meeting between the two sides, following their historic first encounter in Madrid last season.
The academy will conclude its series of games against American teams with a meeting against IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida, on October 16, a matchup that has become a regular annual fixture in the academy’s schedule. ⭐
The European program begins on September 12 with a game against GB Football Development in Loughborough, followed by a meeting with Programm Berlin on September 19 and AVO Academy on September 26, all at the academy’s home venue.
On October 3, the academy will host Benelux Football in Loughborough before facing Spanish National Team U19 in Madrid on November 7 and Team Austria U19 in Innsbruck on November 14.
⭐ More Than 50 Graduates in College Football
Chris Durham continues as head of the NFL Academy UK program after taking over the role in September 2025.
More than 50 academy graduates are expected to compete in NCAA college football during the new academic year, including more than 30 players at Division I level.
Durham said every season brings a new group of athletes from different backgrounds, emphasizing that the academy’s mission is to provide an environment that allows each player to reach their full potential.
He added that the new schedule will test the athletes against some of the best high school football programs in the United States and the strongest youth teams in Europe, providing the level of competition students need to pursue opportunities both on and off the field.
🇪🇬 Egyptian Hamza El-Ghabashy Included in the Roster
The NFL Academy UK roster for the 2026-2027 season features players from 21 countries and diverse backgrounds, including Egypt, represented by Hamza El-Ghabashy.
El-Ghabashy plays as an offensive lineman (OL), and his inclusion in the academy’s roster represents an important step in his American football career, particularly within an international environment designed to develop young athletes.
Australia and Samoa are represented by Zarius Matavoa, who plays defensive line and tight end (DL/TE).
Austria is represented by Lennox Imina-Osemwegie at linebacker and running back (LB/RB), while Mauricio Pires plays wide receiver (WR).
Shams Alnusyrat, representing Austria and Syria, plays defensive line (DL), while Belgium is represented by Stan Pichon at wide receiver and defensive back (WR/DB).
🇨🇦 Strong International Representation
The Canadian contingent includes six players: Nathan Morris and Andrew Gomon at running back (RB), Viktor Lachambre at quarterback (QB), Zian Iseghohi at linebacker (LB), Chris Kaleba at defensive back (DB), and Brendan McCausland at tight end (TE).
Denmark is represented by Silas Floche at tight end (TE) and Julius Lefevre on the offensive line (OL).
Finland’s representatives are Aukusti Hugaerts at defensive back (DB), Terho Vainio at linebacker (LB), and Oliver Lehtinen on the offensive line (OL).
France is represented by Andrea Balay, Matheo Sompa and Hugo Moutou, all playing linebacker (LB).
🇩🇪 Germany Has the Largest Representation
Germany has the largest representation in the roster with 13 players: Yasir Sani, Oluwakemi Adeoshun, Sem Wohlgemuth and Hannes Schmidt at linebacker (LB), and Dawens Albers and Shaq Cisse at defensive back (DB).
Arved Mohr plays quarterback (QB), Jamil Secka plays wide receiver and defensive back (WR/DB), Paul Krause plays kicker and punter (K/P), and Adeola Werner plays outside linebacker and tight end (OLB/TE).
The roster also includes Obinna Esiogu, Benny Kubat and Leo Schoske on the defensive line (DL), while Niko Kampas, representing Germany and Greece, plays offensive line (OL).
Ivory Coast and France are represented by Illias Tadjer at running back (RB), while Japan is represented by Alan Taniguchi at defensive back (DB) and Leon Donato at wide receiver (WR).
🇲🇽 Mexico and the Rest of the Countries
Mexico has eight representatives: Emiliano Albarran at linebacker (LB), Diego Garcia and Armando Gamborino at wide receiver, with Gamborino also playing defensive back (WR/DB).
Diego Tamez plays quarterback (QB), while Patricio Manzano and Leonardo Rois play running back, with Rois also featuring at defensive back (RB/DB). Maximiliano Guerrero and Matias Ortiz play offensive line (OL).
Nigeria is represented by Victor Yakchan and Augustine Irek on the defensive line (DL), while Norway is represented by Tobias Gadeberg in the same position.
Spain is represented by Tom Gabarro at defensive back and wide receiver (DB/WR), while Switzerland is represented by Idriss Mougin at wide receiver (WR).
🇬🇧 Strong British Presence
The United Kingdom roster includes 19 players: Aston Peterkin, Malachy McMahon, Jude Morais-Trigg and Seb Delzoppo at wide receiver (WR), and Devon Myrie at tight end and defensive back (TE/DB).
Israel Adelanwa and Ashley Daniel play defensive back (DB), Max O’Grady plays linebacker (LB), and Lucas Yeo plays running back and long snapper (RB/LS).
Mubarak Olalekan plays outside linebacker (OLB), while Hugo Short and Ewan Kite play tight end (TE).
Alfie Galloway, John Denbigh, Tyrone Stolarcyzk, Adam Ibironke and Riley Watt play offensive line (OL).
Exauce Muteba and LJ Chanakira play defensive line (DL), while the British representation is completed by Corey Pyke, who also holds New Zealand nationality and plays defensive line (DL).
🏆 International Program for Developing Young Talent
The NFL Academy supports student-athletes aged 16 to 19 by combining education with high-level athletic training and access to NFL-approved best practices and resources.
The academy is based at the renowned Loughborough sporting excellence center in partnership with Loughborough College and Loughborough University, providing students with an environment that combines education and athletic development.
In April 2026, Saidu Traore became the first NFL Academy graduate to be selected in the NFL Draft when the Miami Dolphins picked him in the fifth round, marking a major milestone for the program’s player-development pathway. 🏈⭐
The academy’s international activity also extends to the Asia-Pacific region through NFL Academy APAC, which opened on Australia’s Gold Coast in September 2024 in partnership with A.B. Paterson College and with support from the City of Gold Coast and the Queensland Government. The program targets athletes aged 12 to 18.
The new season roster reflects the growing international reach of the NFL Academy, with players from numerous countries, including Egypt’s Hamza El-Ghabashy, who will continue an important development journey alongside some of the world’s most promising young American football talents. 🏈🇪🇬
