Alban Lafont, a 26-year-old Franco-Burkinabè goalkeeper, has officially chosen to represent Ivory Coast, ending his ties with the French and Burkina Faso national teams. This decision, announced on August 27, 2025, by the Ivorian Football Federation, marks a turning point in the player’s international career, currently on loan at Panathinaikos in Greece. His call-up by coach Emerse Faé comes as Ivory Coast prepares for the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, with crucial matches against Burundi and Gabon.
Born in Ouagadougou, Lafont’s career path is remarkable: trained in France where he became Ligue 1’s youngest goalkeeper at Toulouse, he later played for Fiorentina in Italy, then FC Nantes before his current loan in Greece. Despite a strong start to his career, he recently experienced difficulties, being relegated to Nantes’ reserve team. Choosing Ivory Coast is also part of his desire to revive his international career and bring his experience to an ambitious squad led by Emerse Faé, winner of CAN 2025.
The Ivorian coach praised Lafont’s arrival, highlighting his calmness, serenity, and technical qualities: « He is a great goalkeeper who will bring valuable experience to the team, especially to the younger players and the group as a whole. » He also confirmed that all administrative steps for Lafont’s sporting nationality have been completed before his selection, fully legalizing his commitment to the Elephants.
This choice surprised some observers, notably because of Lafont’s Burkinabè origins through his mother and his past with French youth teams. However, it aligns with a growing trend of multi-national players expressing a new sporting identity. For Ivory Coast, the goalkeeper on loan at Panathinaikos becomes an important asset as the team aims to return to the World Cup, ten years after their last participation in 2014. The upcoming matches against Burundi and Gabon will be a first test for this new era with Lafont in goal.