Highly-rated Crystal Palace forward Benjamin Casey would need official permission from world football's governing body, Fifa to represent Nigeria in the future, following his competitive debut for England's Young Lions during the March international window, allnigeriasoccer.com reports.

Handed a late call-up to the Young Lions squad for the first qualifying round of the 2027 European U19 Championship, Casey became provisionally cap-tied to England after his introduction off the bench in the 77th minute of a 4-1 win over Bulgaria.

He replaced 2025 Flying Eagles invitee Chizaram Ezenwata, who had already set the tone for the win with a first-half brace as England led 3-1.

Previously, Casey represented England U16s and U18s but since those appearances were in friendly matches, he did not require Fifa's approval to switch his international allegiance.

The 18-year-old made his senior, European and Crystal Palace debut in December 2025, coming off the bench in the closing stages of a 3-0 win over Shelbourne.

Super Eagles stars Ademola Lookman and Ola Aina played competitive matches for England U19s before successfully applying to Fifa for a one-time change of association.

The Nigeria Football Federation missed out in the race for Crystal Palace alums Eberechi Eze and Michael Olise, but pulled off a massive coup by convincing academy graduate Victor Moses to switch his allegiance to Nigeria. 

Ifeanyi Emmanuel