Ivory Coast, the reigning African Cup of Nations champions, have announced their squad for the upcoming 2026 World Cup qualifiers, including matches against Gabon and Kenya.
Head coach Emerse Fae has retained much of the core team that secured the AFCON trophy on home soil, with notable players such as Willy Boly, Franck Kessie, Jean Michael Seri, and Nicolas Pepe included. However, there’s surprise omission of Amad Diallo, despite his impressive performances for Manchester United towards the end of the Premier League season.
With their formidable lineup and recent success, Ivory Coast is expected to provide a tough challenge for Harambee Stars, making the upcoming matches significant tests for the Kenyan team.
Firat is confident.
Despite the daunting task ahead, Kenya’s head coach, Engin Firat, is confident in his charges’ ability to deliver.
“We played against strong teams that Kenya is not used to. We beat Asian champion Qatar away and drew away with Russia. Things are going positive for us on the national team.
“We broke many records in this process and won five away matches in the last year. No one has achieved this in Kenyan history. There is even a coach who has been on duty for 10 years, but he has not seen five away wins.
“We experienced this in one year. We won a cup in a special tournament in March. One of our biggest goals is the World Cup and the African Cup of Nations, which will be held in our country in 2027,” Firat said in a recent interview.
The Ivory Coast squad
Goalkeepers: Yahia Fofana, Kone Mohamed, Sangare Badra Ali
Defenders: Agbadou Emmanuel, Doue Guela, Willy Boly, Ousmanne Diomande, Ghislain Konan, Odilon Kossounou, Evan Ndicka, Christopher Operi, Wilfried Singo
Midfielders: Lazare Amani, Seko Fofana, Franck Kessie, Mohamed Diomande, Jean Michael Seri
Strikers: Simon Adingra, Mohamed Bamba, Jeremie Boga, Oumar Diakite, Evann Guessand, Sebastien Haller, Nicolas Pepe, Emmanuel Lath
