Barnsley midfielder Patrick Kelly scored his first international goal in that game against France, the strike coming on a night he shared the field with the likes of Kylian Mbappe, Ousmane Dembele and Michael Olise.
The 22-year-old, who joined the Tykes in the summer of 2025 having not made a senior appearance for West Ham, has played all his club football in either League One, League Two, or the Irish Premiership.
“Playing those bigger nations, it would only improve us as a team,” he said.
“You want to test yourself against the best. A couple of the lads have experienced it, they would have played Germany in the last [qualifying ]campaign and done well, and I had it that night against France.
“Playing against the best players in the world, you see where you’re at and the team as well.”
Having missed that game against France through suspension, Blackburn Rovers defender Tom Atcheson’s only international start coming into this campaign had been against Guinea, but the 20-year-old senses the team is ready for the step up.
“I think we do belong there and we’re showing it,” he said. “We want to have those challenges, we want to challenge ourselves against the best because it’s exciting times.
“We know what we’re capable of. To get into League A with those massive nations would be unbelievable, that’s where we all want to get.
“We’re looking forward to the next two games and hopefully to make that happen.”
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