The Ivory Coast national team has been hit by two defensive withdrawals for the September-October 2026 international break. Odilon Kossounou and Guéla Doué, initially called up by manager Hervé Renard, have been ruled out through injury, the Ivorian Football Federation confirmed.
Renard has moved to replace the pair in central defence. He has called up Junior Diaz, who plays for Troyes, and Luck Zogbé from Stade Brestois. The FIF wished the injured players a speedy recovery and encouraged the newcomers to take their opportunity.
A busy schedule
These changes come on the eve of a packed FIFA window featuring three matches. The Elephants, currently second in their World Cup qualifying group with six points, begin their 2027 AFCON qualification campaign at home to Ghana on 24 September. They then face Somalia on 29 September, before rounding off the period with a high-profile friendly against Cameroon on 3 October. Their next fixture after this break is an away trip to Niger on 7 November 2026.
Ivory Coast's most recent result was a 2-1 defeat to Norway in late June, but the team's recent form reads three wins and two losses from their last five outings. The full schedule of upcoming games is on our fixtures page, while the full squad list can be viewed via the squad section.
The original report is at Abidjan.net News
