Manchester United’s Jariyah Shah, Brighton & Hove Albion’s Charlie Wilson-Papps and AFC Bournemouth’s Max Lyall-Rajendra have been picked for Australia at next month’s Under-17 World Cup in Qatar.
The trio were named in Carl Veart’s 21-man Joeys squad, which features 17 A-League Men players and four based overseas, with Red Bull Salzburg defender Harrison Bond the other. Australia are back at the tournament for the first time since reaching the Round of 16 in Brazil in 2019, and will face Argentina, Denmark and Mozambique in Group C.
All three EPL-based teenagers, currently making their way through the academy system, are also eligible for other nations. Shah and Wilson-Papps have both been involved with England at under-15 level, while Lyall-Rajendra is eligible for England, Italy and Scotland as well as Australia.
READ MORE: Two teens with Australian ties named among the Premier League’s brightest young talents
Jariyah Shah
Shah, 17, was born in Canberra on May 25, 2009, to a Pakistani father and Vietnamese mother, before the family moved to England, where he also obtained British citizenship. On top of Australia and England, he is eligible for Pakistan and Vietnam.
Tak Shah, his father, played football at a semi-professional level for Armthorpe Welfare and in Australia. In 2023 he told the Doncaster Free Press that his son had been released by both Sheffield United and Sheffield Wednesday before landing at Doncaster Rovers aged nine, and even that almost didn’t happen.
“Doncaster didn’t really fancy him at first but there was one coach who said ‘let’s just keep him’,” Tak said.
In April 2022, Shah and Doncaster teammate Neithan Barbosa moved to Manchester United, with Zac Watson following later that year. United reportedly paid six-figure compensation to cover all three.
Tak’s account of the switch to Carrington was frank about what it asks of a young player and his family.
“Every week they are playing against the best players in the world and matching them,” he said.
“He’s moving over to Manchester full-time at Easter. The club have been brilliant with us. We are a Muslim family, they let him have time off if he needs it for any of his fasting or Ramadan.
“It’s definitely some life but I will say to anybody who thinks it easy, it’s far from it.
“I can see why now why a small number of people make it. It’s not down to talent, it’s down to hard work.”
At 15, Shah made his United Under-18s debut in February 2025, starting in midfield as the team won 2-1 at home against Wolves in the league. He signed scholarship terms on July 1 that year and scored his first goal for the Under-18s against Everton in December.
Listen on United’s website as a defender, he started at right-back last month in a 6-0 thrashing of Wolves, drifting infield to curl a left-footed shot into the top corner just before half-time. He has also stepped up to the Under-21s, starting a 1-1 draw with Birmingham City in March before being replaced in the 75th minute.
Australia have used him in both roles too. Shah was called into an England Under-15 training camp in December 2023, but was named as a defender in his first Joeys squad for the Asian Cup qualifiers in Jordan in November 2025, and scored in second-half stoppage time against the Philippines. Club commitments kept him out of the Asian Cup finals in May, and he returned for September’s camp in Spain. For the World Cup he is listed as a midfielder.
Charlie Wilson-Papps: The towering former England youth goalkeeper who was Australia’s Asian Cup standout
Wilson-Papps, who turned 17 on September 13, was born in England and qualifies for Australia through heritage. Listed at 6ft 2in, he started out at Sheen Lions and joined AFC Wimbledon’s academy at the start of 2023.
Within 12 months he had an England Under-15 call-up, and by December 2024 Wimbledon had confirmed his sale to Brighton “for a substantial six-figure fee”.
“From day one we knew we had identified a young man with real sporting potential and through hard work (from both staff and Charlie) and complete focus, this potential transferred to exciting performances,” Michael Hamilton, Wimbledon’s academy manager at the time, said in the club’s announcement.
“These performances resulted in him receiving a deserved England call-up at the beginning of 2024, which led to him being watched by almost every club in the country.
“It’s another name on the list of players that have been developed here at the Academy, identified and then recruited by a club higher up the pyramid.”
Wilson-Papps switched to Australia for the 2026 Under-17 Asian Cup, where he beat Western Sydney Wanderers’ Lachlan Allen to the starting spot as the Joeys reached the semi-finals and booked their World Cup ticket. That competitive appearance provisionally ties him to Australia, with a one-time switch required should he ever want to play for England.
Aussie Scout’s assessment of the campaign for Football360 singled him out as one of the tournament’s best performers.
“Goalkeeper Charlie Wilson-Papps… was excellent in every game. He consistently made important saves, particularly against Vietnam, and shapes as a real prospect for Australia long-term,” he wrote.
“Wilson-Papps is towering for a goalkeeper of his age, and for him to beat out WSW goalkeeper Lachlan Allen for a starting spot is in itself a reflection of his ability.”
Those saves kept Australia in the semi-final against China until the 2-0 defeat was sealed late. In July, Wilson-Papps signed what AussieScout described on X as “a scholarship and pre-pro deal” with Brighton, and this month he was named in the Guardian’s Next Generation list of the Premier League’s best first-year scholars.
JOEYS: Teen Bournemouth defender accepts first Joeys call-up as Australia land two dual national wins
Max Lyall-Rajendra: Bournemouth’s 16-year-old right-back, a late addition and a four-nation dual-national win
Lyall-Rajendra is the youngest of the three. Born on December 26, 2009, he will still be 16 through the whole group stage in Qatar.
The right-footed defender plays primarily at right-back and can also play centre-back. He came through London Colney Colts before spending a decade in Watford’s system, where he made his FA Youth Cup debut at 15.
In July he joined Bournemouth as one of five external recruits in a 14-player first-year scholarship intake, joining the club’s Under-18s under lead coach James Lowy.
“Max has made the move after a strong season at Watford where Max made his FA Youth Cup debut as a 15 year old. Spending a lot of season with Watford U18’s playing up a year,” the agency said.
“This is a great move for Max and we are looking forward to what the season brings.”
Lyall-Rajendra received his first Australia call-up only in September, for the Copa España camp in Salou against Panama and Morocco, the group’s final camp before World Cup selection.
Six weeks later he is in the World Cup squad, and with England, Italy and Scotland all options, his selection is a significant one for Australia.
The Joeys’ Group C fixtures
Joeys boss Carl Veart said the tournament would be the biggest stage many of his players have experienced.
“We know we’ll face strong opponents in the group stage, but that’s exactly the type of challenge we want to embrace. We’re going to Qatar with the ambition to play positive football and progress as far as we can,” he said in a statement.
Match: Argentina v Australia
Date: Friday, November 20 (AEDT)
Time: 3am AEDT / 7pm local (Thursday, November 19)
Venue: Aspire Zone, Pitch 8, Al Rayyan
Match: Denmark v Australia
Date: Sunday, November 22
Time: 11.30pm AEDT / 3.30pm local
Venue: Aspire Zone, Pitch 4, Al Rayyan
Match: Australia v Mozambique
Date: Thursday, November 26 (AEDT)
Time: 2.30am AEDT / 6.30pm local (Wednesday, November 25)
Venue: Aspire Zone, Pitch 8, Al Rayyan
