Lincoln City don’t have a game this week, but four of our players could be in international action.
Here is when they play, where, why they’re playing, and everything else you need to know about the international Imps this weekend.
Ivan Varfolomeev
Where and When
| Competition | Match | Date | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| UEFA EURO U-21 Qualification – Matchday 8 | Ukraine U-21 vs Lithuania U-21 | Fri 27 Mar | 17:00 |
| UEFA EURO U-21 Qualification – Matchday 9 | Hungary U-21 vs Ukraine U-21 | Tue 31 Mar | 15:30 |
Current Standings
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Turkey | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 3 | +4 | 11 |
| 2 | Croatia | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 1 | +7 | 10 |
| 3 | Ukraine | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 5 | +2 | 4 |
| 4 | Hungary | 4 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 7 | -2 | 3 |
| 5 | Lithuania | 5 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 13 | -11 | 1 |
Ivan Varfolomeev will likely play both matches for Ukraine this weekend, and both are massive. They’re six points behind Croatia, seven behind Turkey in their quest to reach the Euro finals in 2027.
However, if they could beat Lithuania and Hungary, both below them, they’d finish this weekend on ten points. With Croatia playing Turkey, it would drag both back into their clutches. Also, with both Turkey and Croatia to play ‘at home’, the advantage is there.
However, home games are currently in the likes of Slovakia, lessening that advantage. Still, it’s a huge weekend for Ivan’s side, who could go second with favourable results.
Ryan Oné
Where and When
| Competition | Match | Date | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| UEFA EURO U-21 Qualification – Matchday 8 | Scotland U-21 vs Czechia U-21 | Fri 27 Mar | 19:00 |
| UEFA EURO U-21 Qualification – Matchday 9 | Portugal U-21 vs Scotland U-21 | Tue 31 Mar | 19:30 |
Current Standings
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Portugal | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 21 | 0 | +21 | 13 |
| 2 | Scotland | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 18 | 7 | +11 | 10 |
| 3 | Czechia | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 10 | 3 | +7 | 10 |
| 4 | Bulgaria | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 7 |
| 5 | Azerbaijan | 5 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 14 | -9 | 5 |
| 6 | Gibraltar | 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 31 | -30 | 0 |
Ryan Oné has nine caps and one goal for his country, and this weekend would be a good one for him to step up. If they want to be at the finals in 2027, then they need good results.
Portugal are flying, and they’ve already beaten Scotland 2-0 at home. The pair meet on Tuesday, and by that time, Scotland could already be in trouble. They host Czechia on Friday, another side that beat Scotland in qualifying. A win for Czechi would see them leapfrog the Scottish side, with a game in hand.
Victory on Friday is vital, especially as Czechia’s other game is against the whipping boys of Gibraltar.
Reeco Hackett
Where and When
| Date | Competition | Match | Location | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 27 March 2026 | FIFA Series | St. Lucia vs Azerbaijan | Baku, Azerbaijan | TBC |
| 30 March 2026 | FIFA Series | St. Lucia vs Sierra Leone or Oman | Baku / Sumgait, Azerbaijan | TBC |
The FIFA 2026 Series is one of those odd competitions FIFA comes up with to get teams playing each other and spread the word about football, or something. Earlier in the season, we were robbed of Dexter Lembikisa and Justin Obikwu facing each other when the latter was dropped by Trinidad and Tobago.
Well, it has happened again. This time, we did have the prospect of Hackett lining up against Kamil Conteh, as St Lucia faced Azerbaijan and Sierra Leone faced Oman. The winners would meet each other, and as St Lucia are 167th in the world, Azerbaijan 126th, Sierra Leone 120th and Oman 78th, it could easily have been St Lucia and Sierra Leone in the losers’ game.
Not now. Oman has pulled out of the series due to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, and FIFA have decided that Azerbaijan, as hosts, can just play twice. Fair enough.
Kamil Conteh
Where and When
| Date | Competition | Match | Location | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 27 March 2026 | FIFA Series | Oman vs Sierra Leone (Cancelled) | Baku, Azerbaijan (Dalga Arena) | 15:00 UTC+4 |
| 30 March 2026 | FIFA Series | Azerbaijan vs Sierra Leone | Sumgait, Azerbaijan | TBC |
Kamil hasn’t played for his country since 2024, but he is hoping to add to his 11 caps. He probably has less chance of doing that now, as they only play once, but we’ll keep our fingers crossed for him.
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