As the 2026 FIFA World Cup fast approaches, co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico, African powerhouse Ivory Coast has become the latest nation to confirm its final roster for the tournament, delivering several surprise selections and omissions for football fans across the globe.
Head coach Emerse Fae has named four current English Premier League players in his 26-man squad, a group headlined by Wolverhampton Wanderers center-back Emmanuel Agbadou, Nottingham Forest holding midfielder Ibrahim Sangare, Manchester United winger Amad Diallo, and Aston Villa striker Evann Guessand. Beyond these active top-flight English players, a number of other squad members bring prior Premier League experience to the side, including Al Ahli midfielder Franck Kessie, Stade Rennais captain Seko Fofana, NK Maribor playmaker Jean Michael Seri, AS Monaco winger Simon Adingra, and Villarreal winger Nicolas Pepe.
One of the most eye-catching exclusions from the roster is 33-year-old winger Wilfried Zaha, a veteran of the Ivorian national team with 36 senior caps to his name. Zaha, who recently featured for Ivory Coast at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations and is currently on loan at Major League Soccer side Charlotte FC from Turkey’s Galatasaray, failed to secure a spot in Fae’s final selection for the World Cup finals.
Other notable absentees include Nottingham Forest veteran defender Willy Boly and 2024 Afcon final match-winner Sebastien Haller, the former West Ham United striker. Haller, however, has been named among five standby players who could be called up to the squad in the event of last-minute injuries before the tournament kicks off.
Among the most exciting new additions to the squad is 22-year-old Inter Milan striker Ange-Yoan Bonny, who completed his nationality switch just one week before the squad announcement. Previously a French youth international who represented France at the Under-21 level, Bonny is uncapped at the senior level for Ivory Coast, and follows in the footsteps of teammate Elye Wahi, who earned his first Ivorian cap in a 1-0 friendly victory over Scotland back in March. Another highly anticipated inclusion is RB Leipzig forward Yan Diomande, who has been the subject of widespread transfer speculation linking him with a move to the Premier League in the upcoming summer window.
For Pepe, the 30-year-old winger’s inclusion marks a return to the national side after being left off Fae’s roster for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, where Ivory Coast entered the tournament as defending champions but were eliminated in the quarter-final stage.
Ivory Coast will make its fourth appearance at the men’s World Cup this summer, having previously qualified for three consecutive tournaments between 2006 and 2014 before missing out on the 2018 and 2022 editions. Drawn into Group E, the Elephants will kick off their 2026 World Cup campaign on 14 June against Ecuador, before facing off against four-time World Cup champions Germany and tournament debutants Curacao in the group stage.
The expanded 48-team 2026 World Cup will run from 11 June to 19 July across 16 host cities spread across the three North American host nations.