Joel Piroe: The unlikely Leeds United connection vying to fire Suriname to the World Cup | OneFootball

Joël Piroe has earned his first Suriname call-up, forming an unlikely Leeds United link with former striker Jay-Roy Grot also named as the nation chase a World Cup berth.

According to Leedsunited.news, the Leeds forward has been cleared to represent Suriname despite previous Netherlands youth caps, qualifying through his father, and now steps into senior international football.

Grot returns to international duty alongside Piroe, with both selected as attacking options for decisive fixtures. The forward is with Danish side Odense, posting 14 goal involvements in 31 appearances after spells in Germany and Japan.

Suriname are two matches from the World Cup and face Bolivia in a play-off semi-final in Monterrey, Mexico, at 10pm on Thursday evening. If they progress, they would meet Iraq five days later for a place at the tournament.

Should they surpass Bolivia and then Iraq, Suriname would qualify for Group I at the 2026 World Cup, taking on France, Senegal and Norway.

The squad is led by Henk ten Cate, Suriname’s head coach and a veteran of European football. He has held roles at Ajax and worked at Barcelona and Chelsea, lending experience and structure to the qualification push.

Piroe’s inclusion alongside Grot adds a clear Leeds-linked subplot. With only two games separating Suriname from qualification, both forwards enter an international set-up operating under immediate pressure.

Source: Leedsunited.news