Derby County forward Nathaniel Mendez-Laing has been selected to represent Guatemala for their friendly fixture against Nicaragua later this month.


The 32-year-old has been a mainstay in the Guatemala squad following his international debut last year and collected eight caps to date, four of which came in the Los Chapines' impressive Gold Cup run in 2023.

Mendez-Laing will now have an opportunity to impress in this final friendly fixture for Guatemala on 27th May ahead of two 2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers in June against Dominica and British Virgin Islands. They also have a friendly fixture against Argentina in mid-June on their fixture list.

The match with Nicaragua will take place at PayPal Park in San Jose, California, home of MLS side San Jose Earthquakes. Kick-off is scheduled for 1am BST.


Mendez-Laing had his best ever season from a personal point of view in 2023/24 as Derby gained promotion from Sky Bet League One, registering a superb number of goals and assists, and his performances ultimately earned him a spot in the Sky Bet League One Team of the Season.

From 46 league appearances he contributed heavily with nine goals and 15 assists, totalling 24 goal involvements overall. He played four more times in cup competitions, adding a goal and two more assists to his tally in the process.