Fifa approve Arthur Okonkwo's nationality switch making him eligible to play for Nigeria

GLOBAL football federation Fifa has approved the application for a switch of nationality for former Arsenal goalkeeper Arthur Okonkwo who has changed his nationhood to Nigeria from England making him now eligible to play for the Super Eagles.

Currently playing for Wrexham in the English Championship, Okonkwo, 24, was born in London to Nigerian parents and joined the Arsenal academy as an eight-year-old in 2009. Over the course of his career, he has represented England, playing for the U15, U16, U17, and U18 youth teams between 2015 and 2018.

Fifa regulations stipulate that for him to represent Nigeria at senior level having played for the England youth teams, he needs to make a formal application for a switch of nationality. This Okonkwo has successfully done and with Fifa approving his application, he is now fully eligible to play for the Super Eagles.

Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) officials are yet to confirm when Okonkwo might receive a call-up but with the African Cup of Nations already ongoing, his application approval came too late for the tournament. Okonkwo initially joined Wrexham on a loan move from Arsenal in the summer of 2023, before signing permanently in 2024.

He first joined the club when they were in League Two but has now helped them all the way up to the Championship. Okonkwo has continued to play a regular role in the Wrexham team since their arrival in the English second-tier, starting their last 21 Championship games in a row.