AFCON 2025: Sunderland star Simon Adingra left out of Ivory Coast final squad for tournament

Sunderland attacker, Simon Adingra has been left out of the Ivory Coast final squad for the upcoming 2025 Africa Cup of Nations tournament.

Few days to the commencement of the tournament in Morocco, head coach Emerse Fae has summoned 26-man squad for the task ahead, excluding Adingra, who has struggled for playing time since joining Sunderland from Brighton and Hove Albion.

Despite his heroics back in 2023, where the Elephants defeated Nigeria to annex their third AFCON title, the winger has been omitted from the tournament list.

He has been relegated to the bench for several weeks and has struggled to regain a starting position at Sunderland. Since returning from injury on November 3rd, he has only accumulated 27 minutes of playing time in three matches.

The lack of match fitness and delicate sporting situation has cost Adingra’s position in the squad for the tournament, scheduled between December 2025 and January 2026.

Adingra gained prominence during the 2023 AFCON tournament, held on home soil. He emerged as the Youngest Best Player of the tournament after inspiring the Elephant to victory in the crucial final against Nigeria.

He is joined on the sidelines by Nicolas Pépé, another high-profile name missing from Faé’s final selection. Despite his experience and pedigree, the Villarreal winger did not make the final cut.

Below is the squad:

Goalkeepers: Yahia Fofana (Caykur Rizespor, Turkey), Mohamed Koné (Charleroi SC, Belgium), Alban Lafont (Panathinaikos, Greece)

Defenders: Emmanuel Agbadou (Wolverhampton Wanderers, England), Boly Willy (Nottingham Forest, England), Ousmane Diomande (Sporting CP, Portugal), Guela Doué (RC Strasbourg, France), Ghislain Konan (Gil Vicente, Portugal), Odilon Kossounou (Atalanta BC, Italy), Evan Ndicka (AS Roma, Italy), Christopher Operi (Istanbul Başakşehir, Turkey), Armel Zohouri (FC Iberia 1999, Georgia)

Midfielders: Seko Fofana (Stade Rennais, France), Jean-Philippe Gbamin (FC Metz, France), Christ Inao Oulaï (Trabzonspor, Turkey), Franck Kessié (Al-Ahli, Saudi Arabia), Ibrahim Sangaré (Nottingham Forest, England), Jean-Michael Seri (NK Maribor, Slovenia)

Forwards: Vakoun Bayo (Udinese Calcio, Italy), Oumar Diakité (Cercle Brugge, Belgium), Amad Diallo (Manchester United, England), Yan Diomande (RB Leipzig, Germany), Sébastien Haller (FC Utrecht, Netherlands), Jean-Philippe Krasso (Paris FC, France), Bazoumana Touré (TSG 1899 Hoffenheim, Germany), Wilfried Zaha (Charlotte FC, USA)

Standby: Guessand Evann (Aston Villa, England), Guiagon Parfait (Royal Charleroi SC, Belgium)