Ivory Coast: Emerse Faé to unveil squad ahead of Asian tour

Ivory Coast head coach Emerse Faé will announce his latest national team squad on 5 November at 3 p.m. GMT, the Ivorian Football Federation (FIF) has confirmed.

The squad will be named ahead of the Elephants’ upcoming Asian tour, part of their preparations for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, which will take place in Morocco from 21 December to 18 January.

In an official statement, the FIF confirmed that Ivory Coast will face Saudi Arabia, managed by French coach Hervé Renard, on 14 November in Jeddah, followed by a clash against Oman on 18 November in Muscat.

The fixtures will mark the first-ever meetings between Ivory Coast and the two Gulf nations.

Faé’s squad announcement is eagerly awaited as he continues to shape his plans for the AFCON title defence.

The coach is expected to make several key decisions, with attention focused on potential recalls and exclusions.

Jonathan Bamba could be among the headline names returning to the fold.

The Chicago Fire winger impressed over the weekend despite his side’s MLS playoff exit to the Philadelphia Union on penalties, and his strong form may earn him a return after more than a year out of the national setup.

Willy Boly is also in contention to keep his place.

The Nottingham Forest defender was drafted in as a late replacement for Odilon Kossounou during the previous international window and made the most of the opportunity.

🚨 𝘍𝘌𝘕𝘌̂𝘛𝘙𝘌 𝘍𝘐𝘍𝘈 – 𝘕𝘖𝘝𝘌𝘔𝘉𝘙𝘌 2025 – 𝘔𝘢𝘵𝘤𝘩𝘴 𝘈𝘮𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘹

📆 𝘝𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘥𝘪 14 𝘯𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘳𝘦 2025
⚔️ 𝘈𝘳𝘢𝘣𝘪𝘦 𝘚𝘢𝘰𝘶𝘥𝘪𝘵𝘦 🇸🇦 𝘝𝘴 🇨🇮 𝘊𝘰̂𝘵𝘦 𝘥’𝘐𝘷𝘰𝘪𝘳𝘦
📍 𝘋𝘫𝘦𝘥𝘥𝘢𝘩

📆 𝘔𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘪 18 𝘯𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘳𝘦 2025
⚔️ 𝘖𝘮𝘢𝘯 🇴🇲 𝘝𝘴 🇨🇮… pic.twitter.com/wmef2t6As0

— FIF 🇨🇮🐘 (@FIFCI_tweet) October 30, 2025

Starting in the 7-0 win over Seychelles, Boly delivered a standout display, assisting goals for Emmanuel Agbadou and Evann Guessand while captaining the side.

Oumar Diakité, who scored on his return on 10 October, remains part of Faé’s considerations, while Wilfried Zaha’s future with the national team continues to hang in the balance.

The Galatasaray forward has yet to receive a call-up under Faé and, barring a last-minute change, is expected to be left out once again.

The Asian tour represents Ivory Coast’s final test window before competitive AFCON preparations begin.

The matches against Saudi Arabia and Oman will provide Faé with a valuable opportunity to fine-tune his tactics and evaluate squad depth ahead of the continental tournament.