Ismael Doukoure handed first Cote d’Ivoire call-up after late injury replacement

Strasbourg defender Ismael Doukoure has been called into the Cote d’Ivoire squad for the first time after Odilon Kossounou withdrew through injury.

The 23-year-old, who was initially left out by manager Herve Renard because of competition for places, has been added to the squad on the eve of Cote d’Ivoire’s first international gathering of the 2026-2027 season. The move was reported by journalist Malick Traore, who said Doukoure would replace Kossounou, who was injured while playing for Atalanta.

Born in Lille, Doukoure represented France from Under-19 to Under-23 level. He was previously promoted to the France Under-23 side but has not been selected since June 2021.

The right-footed defender can operate at centre-back, right-back or as a holding midfielder, giving Renard several options in the squad.

Doukoure developed initially at Lille before beginning his senior career with Valenciennes. He has been with Strasbourg since January 2022 and has established himself as a regular over the past two or three seasons. He was made captain during the 2025-2026 campaign, reflecting the confidence placed in him by the club.

He missed the start of the Ligue 1 season against Marseille through suspension and then sat out the match against Lens because of injury. Doukoure returned to the starting XI for Strasbourg’s next three league fixtures, including Saturday’s game against Paris FC, when he wore the captain’s armband in a 2-1 defeat.

Renard had previously indicated that Doukoure was not yet ready to displace the defenders he selected for the original squad.

“He is a young player with enormous qualities, whom I will follow very, very closely, and he was not far from being in this squad,” Renard said. “It came down to very little. (…) I put my trust in the four centre-backs who were at the World Cup and who are performing well for now.”

Doukoure will now have the opportunity to show he can compete at international level.

Luck Zogbe has also been called up as a replacement. The Stade Brestois right-back, who has made one appearance this season, takes the place of Guela Doue of Bayer Leverkusen, who has a calf injury. Zogbe has won four international caps but had not been selected since September 2025.

Cote d’Ivoire will play three home matches during the international break: against Ghana in Bouake on 24 September, Somalia in Abidjan on 29 September and Cameroon in Abidjan on 3 October. The match against Ghana will be played at the Stade de la Paix, while the fixture with Somalia, part of the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaign, will take place at the Stade Felix Houphouet Boigny. The meeting with Cameroon is a friendly at the Stade Alassane Ouattara d’Ebimpe.