Borussia Dortmund's Carney Chukwuemeka has switched his international eligibility to Ralf Rangnick's Austria from England ahead of the World Cup.
Austria face defending champions Argentina, Algeria and Jordan in the group stages of this summer's World Cup, having qualified for the finals for the first time since 1998.
Former Chelsea and Aston Villa midfielder Chukwuemeka was born in Austria but moved to England as a boy and played for the Three Lions throughout the junior divisions without gaining a senior cap.
The 22-year-old's status was updated by FIFA late on Monday and could feature for Austria as early as the upcoming March friendlies against Ghana and South Korea.
🚨🌍 𝐎𝐅𝐅𝐈𝐂𝐈𝐀𝐋 | Carney Chukwuemeka (22) is now eligible to play for Austria! 🇦🇹
— EuroFoot (@eurofootcom) March 10, 2026
The Borussia Dortmund midfielder was born in Vienna to Nigerian parents and also grew up in England.
He could even make his debut in the upcoming friendlies for Austria. ⏳ pic.twitter.com/QgvZ9Wsqvq
The midfielder came through the youth divisions at Villa before moving to Chelsea in 2022. He joined Dortmund on loan in early 2025 and his deal was made permanent in the summer.
This season, Chukwuemeka has scored two goals in 20 league games for Dortmund.
Former Bayern Munich midfielder Paul Wanner, 20, now with PSV Eindhoven, made the switch from Germany to Austria on the same day.