Academy matchday | Swansea's influence on the international stage
With Saturday's home fixture against Hull City celebrating the work of our academy, we take a look at some of the Swansea City pathway products who have made their mark for Wales on the international stage in recent years.
Swansea City's academy has long been highly-regarded for building a player pathway that has produced a significant number of first-team players and full internationals over the years.
That trend continued during the international break, with six Swans academy graduates making appearances for the national side against Kazakhstan and Canada.
These players’ journeys from the the youth setup at the Joma High Performance Centre to representing their country at the highest level of the game, highlight the academy’s ongoing importance in developing the next generation of Welsh footballing talent.
The contribution of the academy will be celebrated on Saturday with a dedicated double matchday.
Entry is free to anyone wanting to see our under-18s in action at 11am against Wigan Athletic at Joma High Performance Centre, and tickets remain on sale for the first team’s match against Hull City, where the academy will be the focus pre-match and during our half-time entertainment.
Swansea academy products in the Wales squad that faced Kazakhstan and Canada
BEN CABANGO
Ben Cabango joined Swansea City’s academy at the age of 14 having previously been at Newport County.
He captained the under-19’s to their FAW Welsh Youth Cup victory in 2019 and helped the under-23s reach the Premier League Cup final.
By then he had signed his first professional contract in June 2018 and spent a short loan at The New Saints, scoring in a Champions League qualifier.
His senior Swansea debut came in August 2019 with his league bow following in November against Huddersfield Town.
He made his Cymru debut as a second-half substitute in a win over Finland in September 2020, and was named in the squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup finals in Qatar.
In January 2025, Cabango became Swans club captain.
BEN DAVIES
Ben Davies first came to the Swansea academy in 2000 before moving to Danish club Viborg FF in 2001.
He returned to the Swans in 2004 and broke into the first team in 2012, playing a key role in the club’s triumph in the League Cup in 2013.
He signed for Tottenham Hotspur in July 2014 and has since been one of Spurs’ longest-serving players, making over 240 Premier League appearances and winning the Europa League in 2025.
He made his debut for Wales in October 2012 and eventually became captain a decade later. He is only three caps away from marking a century of appearances for his country, and was a key part of the squads for Euro 2016, Euro 2020 and the 2022 World Cup.
DAN JAMES
Dan James joined Swansea City’s academy from Hull City in 2014 and was part of the first-team squad from 2016.
He broke into the senior side in 2018, scoring on his debut against Notts County in the FA Cup and impressing with his pace and creativity.
His outstanding performances in the Championship during the 2018-19 campaign earned him a high-profile transfer to Manchester United in 2019, and he spent two seasons at Old Trafford.
In 2021, James signed for Leeds United and has returned this season to the Premier League after a spell on loan with Fulham.
He received his first Wales call up in 2017 for the 2018 FIFA World cup qualifiers but made his debut a year later and has become a regular starter for the national side.
LIAM CULLEN
Liam Cullen joined Swansea’s academy at just eight years old and made his under 18s' debut when aged just 13.
He debuted for the senior side against Crystal Palace in the Carabao Cup in 2018, scoring his first goal in 2020 via a memorable half-volley in a 4-1 win over Reading that secured a play-off spot for the Swans in dramatic fashion.
Having featured during the run to the play-off final in 2021, he went on loan to Lincoln City in January 2022 to gain regular game time before returning to Swansea, where he has since become an important first-team player.
Cullen debuted for Wales in March 2023, with his first international goals coming in an outstanding man-of-the-match showing against Iceland in 2024.
JOSH SHEEHAN
Josh Sheehan entered Swansea’s academy at the age of 10 and signed his first professional contract in 2012.
Despite captaining the under-21 side, he struggled to break into the first team and had productive loan spells at Yeovil Town and Newport County before making a permanent switch to Newport in 2018.
After three seasons there, Sheehan joined Bolton Wanderers in 2021, where he continues to play in League One. He gained his first Wales cap in November 2020 against the USA in a game played at the Swansea.com Stadium and captained the side for the first time against Gibraltar in 2024.
RHYS NORRINGTON-DAVIES
Rhys Norrington-Davies had only a brief spell with the Swansea academy back in 2017 before moving onto Sheffield United.
He has since had loan spells with Barrow, Rochdale, Luton Town, Stoke City, and made the move to Queens Park Rangers over the summer.
He was first included in the Wales squad in October 2020 making the starting line-up that same month against Bulgaria.
In addition to those six, recent seasons have seen Connor Roberts, Joe Rodon and Joe Allen - all Swans academy alumni - regularly feature for Wales.
The success of our academy graduates is testament to the club’s continued commitment to developing young talent.
From Ben Davies’ rise to being a Premier League regular and international captaincy, Ben Cabango’s emergence as Swansea skipper, to Joe Allen’s cult hero status, these stories reflect the strength and consistency of the pathway provided at the Joma High Performance Centre.