World Cup 2026 qualifiers: The Elephants kick off their preparations | OneFootball

Ivory Coast begins preparations for the 2026 World Cup qualifiers

Elephants/@TV5 Monde

Twelve players reported for the first training session of the Ivorian national team on Monday, September 1, as part of the build-up to the 7th and 8th round matches in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers.

Luck Zogbé, Parfait Guiagon, Emmanuel Agbadou, Amad Diallo, Armel Zohouri, Clément Akpa, Mohamed Koné, Bazoumana Touré, Simon Adingra, Ghislain Konan, Evan Ndicka, and Odilon Kossounou took to the natural grass at Cocody Technical High School under the guidance of head coach Emerse Faé.

More players are expected this Tuesday, September 2, including Seko Fofana, Franck Kessié, Ibrahim Sangaré, and Sébastien Haller, while Yahia Fofana should join the squad the following day after finalizing his transfer to Turkey.

The Ivorians will take on Burundi on September 5 before traveling to Gabon on September 8 for a crucial clash in the race to qualify for the 2026 World Cup. Sitting at the top, the Elephants now hold just a one-point lead over the Panthers in Group F.