Head coach Hervé Renard has unveiled a 25-man squad for the double header against Gambia, without forward Sébastien Haller or winger Simon Adingra, but with four new faces including Oumar Solet.
Ivory Coast now know their squad for matchdays 3 and 4 of the 2027 AFCON qualifiers.
Hervé Renard, the Elephants’ head coach, has selected 25 players to face Gambia twice, according to CSPORTS Infos. A list where the absences of attacking players draw as much attention as the arrival of new faces.
Haller and Adingra out of the squad
Sébastien Haller, a forward, and Simon Adingra, a winger, are not on the list. Wilfried Singo, Evann Guessand and Oumar Diakité are also absent.
Guéla Doué, Odilon Kossounou and Ghislain Konan are unavailable through injury, CSPORTS Infos reports.
As for Adingra, on loan from Sunderland to Ajax Amsterdam, the player is going through a difficult spell physically. According to All Football and FootballTransfers, he has made only a brief substitute appearance in the Eredivisie this season, and no precise return timetable is known.
Four new faces in the squad
Among the 25 called up, Oumar Solet, 26, who plays for Udinese, has been called up to the senior national team for the first time after choosing Ivory Coast, CSPORTS Infos reports.
Hervé Renard has also handed first call-ups to Abdoul Ouattara (Ipswich Town), Abdoulaye Kanté (Al-Ettifaq) and Yaya Kader Fofana (Stade de Reims). The list also features the returns of Amad Diallo, Hassane Kamara and Martial Godo.
Bouaké then Bakau in November
Ivory Coast host Gambia on Thursday 12 November 2026 at 19:00 GMT at the Stade de la Paix in Bouaké. The return match is scheduled for Tuesday 17 November at 16:00 GMT at the Independence Stadium in Bakau, according to CSPORTS Infos.
Both matches count towards matchdays 3 and 4 of the 2027 AFCON qualifiers. Simon Adingra is expected to return to collective training after the November international break.
At Ajax, Adingra’s extended absence, on loan with an option to buy of around €16 million, is pushing the club to consider signing a left winger in January. Technical director Jordi Cruijff is exploring that avenue, with only Steven Berghuis, Oscar Gloukh and Abdellah Ouazane available on the wings, according to All Football, FootballTransfers and Soccernews.nl.