Austria naturalise ex-Chelsea star for World Cup clash with Argentina | OneFootball

Ralf Rangnick will be able to count on two footballers born in Austria, but who represented two major European national teams.

With 93 days to go until the start of the World Cup in Mexico, the United States, and Canada, the Austrian National Team received important news as coach Ralf Rangnick will be able to count on two new footballers since they obtained dual nationality and can be eligible.

One of them is Carney Chukwuemeka. Although the forward with a past at Chelsea and currently playing for Borussia Dortmund was born in Austria, throughout the youth national teams he represented the England National Team, with which he won the Under-19 European Championship.

Chukwuemeka, 22, was never called up by the senior England team, which is why the Austrian Football Association reached out to the player's camp to entice him and thus be eligible for Rangnick's team, which will be Argentina's rival in Group J.

Throughout the last season, the player with a past at Chelsea and Aston Villa has played 30 matches with Borussia Dortmund, scoring three goals and providing two assists. This is why he will be an important addition to the Austrian team.

On the other hand, the second naturalized player is Paul Wanner. The player who emerged from Bayern Munich's youth divisions was also born in Austria but represented the German National Team up to the Under-21 level, playing five matches in the last European Championship of the category.

The 20-year-old attacking midfielder decided to stop representing Germany and will now do so for Austria. He currently plays for PSV in the Netherlands, where he wears the number 10 jersey, and has played 27 matches, scoring four goals and providing three assists.

When Argentina and Austria face off in the World Cup

The Argentine national team will face the Austrian team in the second match of Group J of the 2026 World Cup. The match is scheduled for Monday, June 22, starting at 2:00 PM Argentina time, and will be played at the AT&T Stadium in Texas.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.