Ivory Coast Announces Preliminary Squad for 2019 Africa Cup of Nations
The Ivory Coast national team has unveiled a preliminary squad of 27 players as part of their preparations for the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Egypt. Ahead of the tournament, the Elephants will play a final friendly against Comoros on June 7th, giving coach Ibrahim Kamara an opportunity to assess his players before the competition.
Notable absentees from the squad include Gervinho, currently at Parma, as well as Salomon Kalou, Manchester United defender Eric Bailly, and CAF Champions League finalist Fousseny Coulibaly. Returning to the squad is striker Wilfried Bony, while the highly sought-after Nicolas Pépé, fresh off an impressive season with Lille, is included.
Preparations for the tournament will officially begin on May 31st in Chantilly, France. Ivory Coast has been drawn in Group D, alongside Morocco, South Africa, and Namibia.
The 27-player preliminary squad is as follows:
Goalkeepers: Sylvain Gbohouo (TP Mazembe), Abdoul Cissé (ASEC Mimosas), Ali Badra (Free State Stars), Tapé Ira (FC San Pedro)
Defenders: Serge Aurier (Tottenham), Wilfried Kanon (ADO Den Haag), Wonlo Coulibaly (ASEC Mimosas), Abdoulaye Bamba (Angers), Simon Deli (Slavia Prague), Ismaël Traoré (Angers), Mamadou Bagayoko (Red Star), Cheikh Comara (WAC Casablanca)
Midfielders: Jean-Philippe Gbamin (Mainz), Geoffrey Serey Dié (Neuchâtel Xamax), Jean-Michaël Seri (Fulham), Victorien Angban (Metz), Franck Kessié (AC Milan), Ibrahim Sangaré (Toulouse), Ismaël Diomandé (Caen)
Forwards: Max-Alain Gradel (Toulouse), Nicolas Pépé (Lille), Wilfried Zaha (Crystal Palace), Jonathan Kodjia (Aston Villa), Roger Assalé (Young Boys), Maxwel Cornet (Lyon), Yohan Boli (Saint-Trond), Wilfried Bony (Al-Arabi)
With a blend of experienced internationals and emerging talent, Kamara will finalize the squad for AFCON, aiming to build on Ivory Coast’s rich footballing tradition and compete strongly in Egypt.
