National teams: the Africans playing for other countries
Africans representing less obvious national teams. Taiwan, Bolivia, Luxembourg... These countries have naturalised a number of African players
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Many European national teams have been mixed for a long time now, with players from a wide range of countries, including Africans. France, Portugal, England, Germany, Italy, Belgium, Spain, the Netherlands, Switzerland and the Scandinavian sides are the main examples, but they are no longer the only ones. While the trend remains relatively marginal in Eastern Europe, it is less and less so elsewhere, and players of African origin have been reported in several lower-profile national teams than those mentioned above.
Faroe Islands, Gibraltar and Azerbaijan also have an African flavour
That is the case for the Faroe Islands, with Samuel Johansen Chukwudi, born on the archipelago to a Faroese mother and a Nigerian father, and for Gibraltar, with Mohamed Badr, born in Cairo, and Aymen Mouelhi and Ayoub El Hmidi, who are of Tunisian origin. Born in Spain to an Angolan father and an Azerbaijani mother, Eddy Pascualk now wears the shirt of Azerbaijan. Sofiane Ikene, born in Luxembourg to Algerian parents, is now a Grand Duchy international, while Michael Omosanya, whose parents are Nigerian, has also become a Luxembourg international. Max Ebong plays for Belarus, his mother's country, where he was born, his father being Cameroonian.
In Malta, Yannick Yankam, of Cameroonian origin, the brothers Joseph and Paul Mbong, and Kyrian Nwokwo, of Nigerian descent, now wear the shirt of the island nation. Nwokwo's father, Chuks, had also been naturalised as a Maltese and became an international for the small Mediterranean island. The Republic of Ireland ("Eire") for its part relies on a sizeable minority of players of Nigerian origin: Gavin Bazungu, Festy Ebosele, Andrew Omobamidele, Adal Idah, Jonathan Afolabi and Chiedozie Ogbene, who was born in Lagos.
Kouamé, Enoumba and Kojo, now internationals for Taiwan, Bolivia and Tajikistan
In Asia, Ange-Samuel Kouamé, who was born in Ivory Coast, now plays for Taiwan, whose nationality he recently obtained. Michael Udubuluzor, of Nigerian origin, and Mahama Awal, born in Cameroon, represent Hong Kong and are expected to take part in the Asian Cup in Qatar in January. They could come up against Joel Kojo, born in Ghana and now a Tajikistan player. In Australia, three internationals have African roots: Nestory Irankunda (Tanzania), Garang Kuol and Awer Mabil (South Sudan). As for the Cameroonian Marc-François Enoumba, born in Douala, he became a Bolivia international in 2021.
Alexis Billebault