Former Chelsea star set for allegiance change ahead of World Cup and could face Lionel Messi

Carney Chukwuemeka could be set to change his international allegiance to appear at the 2026 World Cup.

The midfielder has previously represented England at youth level.

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Chukwuemeka was capped by the Young Lions’ at Under-17, Under-18, Under-19 and Under-20 level.

The 22-year-old was also part of the side which won the 2022 Under-19 Euros in Slovakia.

However, he has yet to win a senior cap for the Three Lions and is therefore able to represent another country.

International switch

According to The Athletic, Austria are working to agree a switch of his international allegiance ahead of the summer.

It is a move which would make Chukwuemeka available for their first World Cup since 1998.

The Aston Villa academy graduate was born in Eisenstadt, Austria, which qualifies him for Ralf Rangnick’s side.

He is also eligible for France and Nigeria through his parents, having moved to England as a child.

If his switch goes through, Chukwuemeka could make his debut for Austria next month.

They are scheduled to face Ghana and South Korea at home in a pair of friendly matches.

Rangnick will then select his squad for the tournament in the summer, where they have been drawn alongside Jordan, Argentina, and Algeria.

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Austria are captained by Real Madrid’s David Alaba, whilst their squad also includes Marko Arnautovic and Kevin Danso.

This summer’s tournament will be their first World Cup for 28 years after failing to qualify for the last six editions.

As for Chukwuemeka, he began his career with Villa before moving to Chelsea in 2022.

Having made his Premier League debut aged 17 for his boyhood club, he made 37 appearances in the competition for Villa and Chelsea.

However, Chukwuemeka completed a permanent switch to Borussia Dortmund in August after spending the second half of last season on loan.

Since that transfer, he has made 26 appearances across all competitions, scoring three goals and adding an assist.

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His older brother Caleb is also eligible for Austria having too been born in Eisenstadt.

The 24-year-old is currently without a club following spells in Slovenia and Switzerland, having also spent time with Villa and Northampton Town.