Oumar Solet chooses Cote d’Ivoire for November qualifiers

Herve Renard has named Oumar Solet in his latest Cote d’Ivoire squad for the two Africa Cup of Nations 2027 qualifying matches against Gambia on 12 and 17 November.

The 26-year-old central defender, an undisputed starter for Udinese in Serie A, has officially opted to represent Cote d’Ivoire after previously playing for France’s youth teams.

Solet is one of four new faces in Renard’s squad as the Elephants continue their campaign under the French manager. Abdoul Ouattara, Abdoulaye Kante and Yaya Kader Fofana have also been called up to the senior side for the first time.

Born in Melun, Solet came through the academies at Laval and Olympique Lyonnais before later playing for RB Salzburg. He had been eligible to represent France or the Central African Republic, the country of his father.

His brother, Isaac, who plays for CSKA Sofia, already represents the Central African Republic national team, known as the Fauves du Bas-Oubangui. Solet, however, has ultimately chosen Cote d’Ivoire.

At 1.92m, the defender adds considerable physical strength to a squad whose central defensive options already include Evan Ndicka, Ousmane Diomande and Emmanuel Agbadou. He also brings pace despite his size and is regarded as a composed passer from the back.

Renard has also recalled Amad Diallo, Hassane Kamara and Martial Godo for the upcoming fixtures.

There are several notable absences from the squad. Guela Doue, Odilon Kossounou and Ghislain Konan are unavailable because of injury, while Wilfried Singo, Simon Adingra, Seko Fofana, Evann Guessand and Sebastien Haller are among those not selected.

Cote d’Ivoire have made an ideal start to their qualifying campaign, beating Ghana 2-0 before recording the same score against Somalia. Those results have given the Elephants six points from their opening two matches.

Their next assignment is expected to be more demanding. Gambia also have six points, meaning the two-match meeting between the sides could already have a significant bearing on the race to qualify for the tournament.