Nicolas Pepe gets a second chance at the biggest stage — and Wilfried Zaha does not. Those are the two defining selection calls in Emerse Fae's 26-man Ivory Coast squad for the 2026 World Cup.
Pepe, 30, was frozen out of the AFCON squad last winter over what Fae diplomatically described as "off-field issues." Whatever those were, eight goals and eight assists for Villarreal in La Liga this season — enough to push the club into Champions League qualification from eighth place — appears to have settled the matter. He returned for the March friendlies, scored the winner against Scotland, and now he's going to a World Cup. Clean slate, earned back on the pitch.
Zaha's situation is almost the inverse. The 33-year-old Charlotte FC winger got a surprise AFCON recall last December, his first cap in over two years, and made three appearances as the Elephants reached the quarter-finals. Then he wasn't selected for March. Now he's not going to the World Cup. At his age and with MLS as his stage, it's hard to see how that door reopens.
The names drawing transfer attention
Two Diomandes headline the outfield selection, and they are very different propositions. Ousmane Diomande of Sporting CP is an established centre-back already tracked by Europe's elite. Yan Diomande of RB Leipzig is 19 years old and being valued by his club at around £85 million — a figure Liverpool and others are reportedly weighing up. A World Cup tournament is exactly the kind of shop window that either justifies that price tag or puts it under pressure. Leipzig will be watching closely either way.
The Premier League contingent is worth noting too. Amad Diallo comes off the back of a breakthrough season at Manchester United. Ibrahim Sangare brings Nottingham Forest's midfield engine. Evann Guessand represents Crystal Palace. Between them, there's enough top-flight familiarity to give this squad genuine depth in the final third and through the middle.
The group and what it means
Ivory Coast land in Group E alongside Ecuador, Germany, and World Cup debutants Curacao. Germany on June 20 is the fixture everyone will circle — a potential top-two decider, and the kind of match where Fae's attacking options, Pepe included, will either justify the selection calls or expose them.
Fae himself remains one of football's more unlikely success stories. Appointed interim during the 2023 AFCON group stage after Gasset was sacked, he had never managed a senior side. He won the tournament. Now he's taking the same group to a World Cup. The squad he's built looks balanced, with genuine quality in the wide areas and a midfield anchored by Frank Kessie, who has captained the side since 2024.
- Goalkeepers: Yahia Fofana (Caykur Rizespor), Mohamed Kone (Charleroi), Alban Lafont (Panathinaikos)
- Defenders: Emmanuel Agbadou (Beşiktaş), Clement Akpa (AJ Auxerre), Ousmane Diomande (Sporting CP), Guela Doue (Strasbourg), Ghislain Konan (Gil Vicente), Odilon Kossounou (Atalanta BC), Evan Ndicka (AS Roma), Wilfried Singo (Galatasaray)
- Midfielders: Seko Fofana (Porto), Parfait Guiagon (Charleroi), Christ Inao Oulai (Trabzonspor), Franck Kessie (Al-Ahli), Ibrahim Sangare (Nottingham Forest), Jean-Michael Seri (Maribor)
- Forwards: Simon Adingra (Monaco), Ange-Yoan Bonny (Inter Milan), Amad Diallo (Manchester United), Oumar Diakite (Cercle Brugge), Yan Diomande (RB Leipzig), Evann Guessand (Crystal Palace), Nicolas Pepe (Villarreal), Bazoumana Toure (TSG Hoffenheim), Elye Wahi (OGC Nice)
Ivory Coast open against Ecuador on June 15. Their odds to progress from Group E will hinge largely on that fixture — lose it, and the Germany match becomes a must-win against one of the tournament favourites.
