Eddie Nketiah still eligible to play for Ghana despite maiden England call-up

Ghana's hope of luring Eddie Nketiah to play for the Black Stars has been dashed after earning a maiden England call up.

The 24-year-old has been included in Gareth Southgate's squad for their upcoming UEFA Euro qualifiers against Ukraine and a friendly fixture against Scotland following an impressive start to the season, marked by two goals in three matches for Arsenal.

Despite his involvement in England's youth teams, Nketiah is still eligible to play for Ghana.

In June last year, Nketiah confirmed discussions with Ghana over a potential nationality switch, expressing his openness to both England and Ghana.

"Being from Ghana, you would be happy that they qualified for the World Cup," he said.

His international future gains additional complexity due to the recently revised FIFA regulations pertaining to changing national teams.

Three new exceptions now enable a player to switch their international allegiance if they meet certain criteria including;

- If the player held the nationality of their new association at the time of their first official appearance for their first national team.

- the player has not played in the final stage of an official tournament such as the World Cup, European Championship, AFCON, Copa America etc.

- at least three years have passed since the player's last senior appearance for their previous national team.

These revised regulations create a dynamic landscape for international player selections, allowing for strategic shifts based on eligibility and circumstances.

While Nketiah's debut call-up for England confirms his current commitment, the intricate interplay of eligibility rules suggests that opportunities for a switch in allegiance may persist should circumstances evolve.