Fikayo Tomori has spoken to Thomas Tuchel. The message was encouraging. He has not been called up in over two years. And Nigeria, the country where his parents were born, never rang. This is a story Nigerian football fans need to sit with.
Fikayo Tomori wants to play at the 2026 World Cup. He has said so clearly, repeatedly, and without embarrassment. “Of course I have my eye on it because I’ve never been,” he told the media in Singapore during Milan’s pre-season tour. “But it would be a really proud moment for sure.” He has spoken to Thomas Tuchel twice. The England manager has told him to keep doing what he’s doing, that the door is open, that his data and video are being watched at Milan. The message has been consistent and, for Tomori, encouraging.
The complexities of this story for Nigerian football readers stem not from Tomori’s ambition for England, but from the gentle absence of a Nigeria connection. Born in Calgary to Nigerian parents and now calling England home, Tomori has spoken warmly about friends on the Super Eagles. Still, the NFF never reached out to him. When the choice came, it was England simply because that door opened first.What Tuchel Said
— Fikayo Tomori, pre-season press conference, Singapore, July 2025
Tuchel’s communication with Tomori matches a pattern the German manager has been following with Serie A-based players. He called up Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Tomori’s AC Milan teammate, for a recent international window. For Tomori, that call-up was proof that Tuchel is genuinely watching the Milan squad, not just picking from the Premier League pool. “I know he’s watching because he called up Ruben Loftus-Cheek,” Tomori told reporters. “That gives me confidence that I can make it.”
Most recently, he told BBC Sport after the November international break: “I spoke to him after the last break. We’ve spoken a few times and the message is to keep doing what I’m doing.” That consistency of message from Tuchel is significant. It means Tomori is not being strung along. He is genuinely in consideration. The March international window, the last before the World Cup squad announcement, is now critical.
The Competition He Faces
Man City · First choice when fit
Newcastle · Regular starter
Aston Villa · Consistent form
Newcastle · Strong Premier League form
AC Milan · Serie A, No PL exposure
Chelsea · Emerging profile
Tomori does not pretend the competition is anything other than fierce. He has openly named the players above him. But his form this season has been strong. He has featured in 13 of Milan’s 15 Serie A matches, ranking second at the club for tackles won with 18, behind only Alexis Saelemaekers on 23. He has won the sixth-most duels at the club with 39. Under Massimiliano Allegri, Milan have rebuilt their defensive structure after a difficult 2024/25 season, and Tomori has been one of the key beneficiaries of that improvement. The Rossoneri have lost just one league match and are pushing for the Serie A title.
Tuchel has explicitly indicated he is open to picking players from outside the Premier League. That is the single most important signal for Tomori’s chances. Under Southgate, playing in Serie A was effectively a soft disqualification. Under Tuchel, who managed in Germany, England, France, and Spain before taking the Three Lions job, continental experience is not a barrier.
The Nigeria Question
There is an aspect of Tomori’s journey that Nigerian football fans deserve to explore with warmth. Born to Nigerian parents, he was raised in south-east England, played at youth level for Canada and England, and debuted for England’s senior team in 2019. For many, there has always been curiosity about his connection to the Super Eagles.He answered that question plainly in December 2025: “Nigeria isn’t bad, though. All my boys are there. It’s not like I wouldn’t have played there, but they never called me, so I never had a choice to make.”
“Nigeria isn’t bad, though. All my boys are there. It’s not like I wouldn’t have played there, but they never called me, so I never had a choice to make.”
— Fikayo Tomori, Legit.ng interview, December 2025
That sentence is not a rejection of Nigeria. It is the opposite. It is a player of Nigerian heritage saying, with genuine warmth, that he would have considered representing the Super Eagles if anyone had asked. Nobody asked. He played for England instead, progressed through their youth system from the age of 16, and eventually made his senior debut in 2019. By the time the NFF might have considered approaching him seriously, he was committed to England. The window was closed before Nigeria ever tried to open it.
Tomori joins a long list of players in that category: Tammy Abraham, who chose England; Callum Hudson-Odoi, who was eventually capped for Ghana; and others who grew up in England and were left to make international choices without NFF engagement. Some chose Nigeria. Many did not. The pattern repeats because the structural approach to player recruitment has not changed at the speed required to compete with FA youth development pathways.
Fikayo Tomori would have considered Nigeria. He said so himself. He has described his Super Eagles teammates as “his boys.” He watches their games. He follows their careers. The personal connection to Nigeria is real and genuine.
What was not real was any formal contact from the NFF during the years when Tomori’s international commitment was still open. He went through the England youth system from U19 to U21 to senior level because that was the only path anyone put in front of him. If the NFF had made a serious approach during his Chelsea academy years or his early loan stints, the conversation might have gone very differently.
The lesson is not about Tomori specifically. He made his choices, is committed to England, and is pursuing a legitimate World Cup dream with genuine determination. The lesson is about the dozens of players coming behind him: Chido Obi, Josh Ajala, and others, teenagers of Nigerian heritage currently in English academies whose international future is still open. The NFF cannot afford to wait for those players to call them. The call has to come from Nigeria first.
As FootballInNigeria.com.ng covers the Super Eagles’ own 2026 World Cup qualification push, fans backing Nigeria’s playoff progress can place wagers through Bet9ja’s YOHAIG promotion, with 170% accumulator boosts and up to N100,000 on first deposit.
- Fikayo Tomori’s full name is Oluwafikayomi Oluwadamilola Tomori, a Yoruba name reflecting his Nigerian heritage. He was born in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, on December 19, 1997, and moved to England before his first birthday when his family relocated to south-east London.
- Tomori represented Canada at the under-19 level before committing to England, having been born in Calgary. He could also have represented Nigeria through his parents’ heritage, giving him three international options before he eventually committed to the Three Lions.
- Tomori was part of the England U20 team that won the 2017 FIFA U-20 World Cup, beating Venezuela 1-0 in the final. It was England’s first triumph in a global tournament since their 1966 World Cup victory, making it one of the most significant moments in the history of the England youth setup.
- AC Milan paid Chelsea a permanent fee of approximately €28 million for Tomori in June 2021, following a successful loan spell. He has since gone on to become one of the most important defenders at the club, now entering his fifth full season at San Siro under Massimiliano Allegri.
- Thomas Tuchel was appointed England head coach in October 2024, becoming the first German to manage the England senior national team. His international approach, drawing on experience in Germany, England, France, and Spain, has been marked by a willingness to look beyond the Premier League when selecting his squads.
- Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Tomori’s AC Milan teammate, whose England recall encouraged the defender, is also of Caribbean descent and spent several seasons at Chelsea before joining Milan. His call-up under Tuchel signalled that players at Italian clubs were being actively considered for the World Cup squad.
- England’s 2026 World Cup group has already been determined, with the Three Lions facing France, a South American qualifier, and a fourth opponent in what is expected to be one of the most high-profile groups of the expanded 48-team tournament in the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
