Mason Greenwood will no longer play for the English national team. The 23-year-old forward has completed the process with FIFA to change his national allegiance to represent Jamaica. Mark Bullingham, the FA’s chief executive, has confirmed Greenwood’s change of nationality.
Mark Bullingham, FA chief executive, spoke to the media a few days before Thomas Tuchel, the new England national team coach, is set to announce the squad list for the international break in March. Bullingham discussed Mason Greenwood and confirmed the widely anticipated news: Greenwood is switching from the English to the Jamaican national team. “My understanding is that he has requested to switch. As that has formally happened, he would not be eligible to be selected for England, as you can only switch once,” he stated. This confirms reports from ‘The Sun’, which reported last October that Greenwood would speak with the FA and the coach to understand his chances of playing in the 2026 World Cup for England and, if not, his intentions to change nationality. And so it is. Mason Greenwood will not be in the upcoming England squad list and will switch to Jamaica.
Despite Bullingham confirming the player’s change of nationality, he clarified that it was a personal decision and that the FA did not encourage him to take this step: “I know people asked Gareth (Southgate) about him and Gareth was honest in saying he hadn’t been in his thinking, but because he hadn’t been performing at that level. I am not aware of any communication we had with him. I think there was never a request or anything like that. It just wasn’t something we got to, so it’s a personal decision for him.” Once approved, Greenwood will be eligible to be called up by Jamaica, but he will never again be able to represent the British national team; the forward represented England throughout his youth career.
Currently, Greenwood plays for Olympique Marseille – he signed last summer for 26 million euros – and is having a great season: he has 16 goals and three assists in just half a season. However, this high level of performance does not seem to be enough to get into the plans of Thomas Tuchel, who recently took over as coach. Greenwood made his debut for the England senior team in 2020, but due to his personal situation, he has not returned to the British national team and, from now on, he will not do so again. The forward’s international career will continue with Jamaica.