Hervé Renard names Ivory Coast squad for Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers

Hervé Renard has selected his first Ivory Coast squad since returning as head coach, combining experienced internationals with a large group of newcomers. The Elephants will face Ghana on 24 September and Somalia on 29 September in Africa Cup of Nations qualifying before meeting Cameroon in a friendly on 3 October.

The most distinctive name in the squad is Eddy Doué. The 20-year-old midfielder, developed by Paris Saint-Germain and now playing for Estrela da Amadora in Portugal, joins the senior team for the first time. He is a cousin of Désiré Doué and Guéla Doué, who is also included in Renard’s selection. His call-up adds another branch to a family already represented in high-level football.

Eddy Doué is one of eight players entering the senior Ivory Coast setup. Amadou Koné, a 21-year-old midfielder who came through Reims, has also received his first call-up. Brighton midfielder Malick Yalcouyé and Paris FC player Patrick Zabi are included, as are Christ Tapé, Yann Gboho, Kassoum Ouattara and Ryan Fofana.

Several of the new arrivals have previously represented France at youth level. Gboho, Fofana and Ouattara have chosen to change their sporting nationality less than a year before the next Africa Cup of Nations. Their inclusion gives Renard additional options while making this first squad an important moment in the international careers of players who have not previously appeared for the Ivorian senior team.

Renard has retained a strong core alongside the new faces. Franck Kessié and Ibrahim Sangaré remain the main established figures in midfield, with Christ Inaho Oulai also selected. The defence includes Emmanuel Agbadou, Evan Ndicka, Guéla Doué, Odilon Kossounou and Ousmane Diomandé, while Ghislain Konan and Christ Tapé complete the options listed in that area.

The goalkeeper group is made up of Yahia Fofana, Alban Lafont and Mohamed Koné. In attack, Renard has kept Nicolas Pépé and Elye Wahi, while also selecting Yan Diomandé, Bazoumana Touré and Ange-Yoan Bonny. Diomandé, who recently joined Real Madrid and has already drawn criticism, is only 19 but has made 19 appearances for the Elephants. That experience gives him a different status from most of the younger players in the group.

The full selection contains 27 players: Yahia Fofana, Alban Lafont and Mohamed Koné in goal; Emmanuel Agbadou, Evan Ndicka, Ghislain Konan, Guéla Doué, Kassoum Ouattara, Odilon Kossounou, Ousmane Diomandé and Christ Tapé in defence; Amadou Koné, Eddy Doué, Franck Kessié, Ibrahim Sangaré, Christ Inaho Oulai, Malick Yalcouyé and Patrick Zabi Gueu in midfield; and Ange-Yoan Bonny, Bazoumana Touré, Elye Wahi, Nicolas Pépé, Ryan Fofana, Yan Diomandé and Yann Gboho in attack.

The schedule will test both parts of Renard’s approach. Ghana and Somalia provide the competitive matches that will shape the Elephants’ Africa Cup of Nations campaign, while the meeting with Cameroon offers another opportunity to assess the squad without qualification points at stake. The September and October gathering will therefore introduce the new players while maintaining the roles of Kessié, Sangaré, Pépé and the other established internationals.