England footballer Ivan Toney has been charged with assault following an incident at a nightclub in central London last December.

Toney, a 30-year-old striker who plays for Saudi Pro League club Al-Ahli, was charged on 31 July with assault causing actual bodily harm. The charge relates to an alleged incident on Wardour Street in Soho on 6 December, according to BBC News. He is due to appear at Westminster Magistrates' Court on 24 September.

The charge follows Toney's arrest in central London on suspicion of two counts of assault and one count of affray — a public-order offence involving threatening behaviour — as reported by Yahoo News last December. The alleged incident reportedly began when a fan grabbed Toney while attempting to take a selfie at the Soho nightclub.

A spokesperson for Toney said the player acknowledges the charge and looks forward to clearing his name in court, BBC News reports.

Toney's career has taken him from the lower leagues to the international stage. He started at Northampton Town and had permanent spells at Newcastle, Peterborough and Brentford, where he became one of the Premier League's most reliable finishers, before moving to Saudi Arabia in 2024.

On the pitch, Toney started England's 6-4 win over France in the bronze-medal match at the recent World Cup — a result that gave the tournament's third-place finish a wildly entertaining send-off. His role in that side, and in England squads more broadly, means the court case will draw attention well beyond the usual football beat.

For now, the legal process takes its course. The September hearing will be the next public milestone, and any consequences for Toney's club or international career will depend on its outcome.