Erik Simonyan called up to the Armenian national team

Urartu’s central defender Erik Simonyan has been called up to the Armenian national team for the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying matches.

Armenia will play both upcoming games at home:

• September 6 – against Portugal

• September 9 – against Ireland

Simonyan’s call-up is linked to squad losses: Osijek defender Stepa Mkrtchyan and forward Norberto Balekyan suffered injuries and will not be able to help the team.

It should be noted that earlier, two other Urartu players – Erik Pilosyan and Narek Agasaryan – had already been invited to the national team.

For the 22-year-old Simonyan, this is not his first call-up to the senior national team, although he has yet to make his debut. The defender has over 20 appearances for Armenia’s youth and U21 teams.