Former Chelsea Star Snubs Super Eagles, Set to Represent 2026 World Cup-bound Country
- Former Chelsea midfielder Carney Chukwuemeka is set to switch his international allegiance to Austria
- Chukwuemeka is eligible to represent four countries: England, Austria, France and the Super Eagles of Nigeria
- He was born in Austria in 2003 to Nigerian parents, grew up and played for the English youth teams
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The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) is set to miss out on a Nigeria-eligible player as he is in talks to switch his international allegiance to a European country, per reports on February 11, 2026.
NFF in the last decade has intensified efforts to get players of Nigerian descent, trained in Europe, to switch their international allegiance to play for the Super Eagles.
Source: Getty Images
Former captain William Troost-Ekong, 2024 African Footballer of the Year Ademola Lookman and soon-to-be centenarian are some of the success examples for Nigeria.
English stars Bukayo Saka, Tammy Abraham and Fikayo Tomori, Canadian Folarin Balogun and Germany’s Noah Atubolu are some of those who declined the approach.
Austria in talks with Carney Chukwuemeka
According to The Athletic, the Austrian Football Association has approached Carney Chukwuemeka to switch his international allegiance from England.
The Boys qualified for the 2026 FIFA World Cup and are looking to bolster Ralf Rangnick’s squad by securing Chukwuemeka’s international future.
The former Chelsea midfielder is eligible to represent Austria, France, the Three Lions of England and the Super Eagles of Nigeria at the senior level.
He was born in Austria to Nigerian parents and was raised in England, playing for the Young Lions at youth level, but has yet to win a senior cap.
He represented England at all youth levels and was part of the U19 team that won the U19 Euro in Slovakia in 2022, but has not made any senior appearances.
In 2025, there was a report that Chukwuemeka, alongside Lesley Ugochukwu, both of whom were at Chelsea at that time, had agreed to play for Nigeria.
Soccernet debunked the reports after sources close to both players denied any agreement of such. Ugochukwu is eligible to play for France and Nigeria.
There was no report around the two players since then, but Nigerians have pushed for the NFF to hijack Chukwuemeka amid reports of Austria’s switch.
Source: Getty Images
@aaron_magook wrote:
“Why can't he just play for Nigeria? Where is the Nigerian federation?”
@noir_dia wrote:
“Does any Nigerian know why this guy is choosing Austria over them? If he grew up in England he is certainly more Nigerian than Austrian since he left the country young. Nigerian culture is hard to not experience if you're a Black person in England let alone having 🇳🇬 parents.”
@emanxamilius wrote:
“If Nigeria had qualified for the World Cup…”
Why Osayi-Samuel chose Nigeria over England
Legit.ng reported that Bright Osayi-Samuel explained why he chose to play for the Super Eagles of Nigeria over England despite being eligible for both.
The Birmingham City defender claimed that his upbringing and the togetherness in the Nigerian national team were enough reasons for him to decide.
Source: Legit.ng
