Crystal Palace forward Eddie Nketiah is on the verge of switching his international allegiance from England to Ghana, with the necessary paperwork being prepared for submission to FIFA.
The 27-year-old has made significant progress towards committing his international future to the Black Stars, and documents required to formalise the move are now being assembled for FIFA’s consideration.
Nketiah has long been eligible to represent Ghana through his family heritage and has been the subject of interest from Ghanaian football authorities for several years.
If approved, the switch would provide a major boost to Ghana’s attacking options as the four-time African champions continue preparations for upcoming international competitions.
The former Arsenal striker has recently returned from injury and established himself as a regular under Crystal Palace manager Pierre Sage.
He started Palace’s dramatic 3-2 comeback victory over Fulham on 5 September and provided the assist for Tyrick Mitchell’s opening goal as the Eagles recovered from a two-goal deficit.
Although Nketiah has represented England at senior level, he remains eligible to change association under FIFA regulations because his only appearance came in a non-competitive fixture.
The striker made his England debut in a friendly against Australia in October 2023 but has not featured for the Three Lions since.
Under FIFA rules, players can apply to switch national associations if their senior international appearances were exclusively in non-competitive matches. Any change of association must be formally approved before a player can represent a new country.
FIFA regulations also state that players whose applications are under review are unable to play for either national team until a decision has been reached.
Nketiah enjoyed a prolific spell with England’s youth teams and became the country’s all-time leading scorer at Under-21 level with 16 goals.
However, his inability to establish himself in England’s senior squad has kept the door open for a move to Ghana, despite uncertainty surrounding his international future in recent years.
Interest from Ghana has remained strong, with Nketiah’s father revealing in June that officials from the Sports Ministry and other stakeholders had previously held discussions with the family over the possibility of the forward representing the Black Stars.
Should FIFA approve the request, Nketiah would become immediately eligible for selection by Ghana and bring an end to the long-running speculation surrounding his international future.
The Crystal Palace striker has made three appearances this season and has already registered one assist.
