A quartet of Leeds United players will now focus on earning glory for their respective countries in the FIFA World Cup this summer after helping the Whites stay in the Premier League.
Leeds did brilliantly to secure Premier League survival with games to spare and finished 14th in the standings in their first season back in the English top flight.
However, the season is far from over for a quartet of Leeds players who will now be representing their countries in the FIFA World Cup that starts next week.
Ao Tanaka, Gabriel Gudmundsson, Noah Okafor and Brenden Aaronson are the four players who are set to fly the Leeds colours in the World Cup this summer.
Fixtures, kick-off times and how to watch Leeds United players in the World Cup
Leeds United supporters have a chance to watch four of their favourite players featuring in the biggest football tournament this season.
While they will have their eyes on England’s progress, Leeds fans will also keep track on how their own perform on the biggest stage of international football.
Ao Tanaka will be representing Japan, who are being tipped to be a surprise package this summer. Noah Okafor returned to the Switzerland fold just ahead of the World Cup while Gabriel Gudmundsson will be a huge player for Sweden in North America.
Brenden Aaronson has been selected in the United States team for the home World Cup and he will be eager to impress.
| Leeds United Player | Country | Fixture | Date | Kick-Off (UK) | How To Watch |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brenden Aaronson | USA | USA vs Paraguay | Saturday, June 13 | 2:00am BST | BBC / ITV* |
| Brenden Aaronson | USA | USA vs Australia | Friday, June 19 | 8:00pm BST | BBC / ITV* |
| Brenden Aaronson | USA | USA vs Türkiye | Friday, June 26 | 3:00am BST | BBC / ITV* |
| Noah Okafor | Switzerland | Switzerland vs Qatar | Saturday, June 13 | 8:00pm BST | BBC / ITV* |
| Noah Okafor | Switzerland | Switzerland vs Bosnia & Herzegovina | Thursday, June 18 | 8:00pm BST | BBC / ITV* |
| Noah Okafor | Switzerland | Switzerland vs Canada | Tuesday, June 23 | 8:00pm BST | BBC / ITV* |
| Gabriel Gudmundsson | Sweden | Sweden vs Tunisia | Sunday, June 14 | 8:00pm BST | BBC / ITV* |
| Gabriel Gudmundsson | Sweden | Sweden vs Netherlands | Saturday, June 20 | 8:00pm BST | BBC / ITV* |
| Gabriel Gudmundsson | Sweden | Sweden vs Japan | Friday, June 26 | 12:00am BST | BBC / ITV* |
| Ao Tanaka | Japan | Japan vs Netherlands | Sunday, June 14 | 11:00pm BST | BBC / ITV* |
| Ao Tanaka | Japan | Japan vs Tunisia | Saturday, June 20 | 11:00pm BST | BBC / ITV* |
| Ao Tanaka | Japan | Japan vs Sweden | Friday, June 26 | 12:00am BST | BBC / ITV* |
*UK broadcasters split coverage between BBC and ITV.
Leeds set to earn from the World Cup
The involvement of Leeds players will be beneficial for the club as well. They will earn a considerable sum from each player’s involvement in the tournament.
Leeds will get a portion of FIFA’s £263m fund for each game a Leeds player will be involved during the World Cup.
If the Whites stars progress deeper in the competiton, Leeds will have the potential to earn more.
So, a good World Cup for the Leeds stars will be finacially beneficial for the club as well.
