Emerse Fae, head coach of Ivory Coast, has named a star-studded 25-man team for his side’s upcoming 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying matches against Sierra Leone next month.
The 40-year-old AFCON 2023-winning manager has called upon Villarreal defender Eric Bailly, who missed the tournament they won as hosts, Seko Fofana, Franck Kessie, Manchester United forward Amad Diallo, Philippe Krasso, and first choice goalkeeper Yahia Fofana.
Fae also named Sebastien Haller to the team after the 30-year-old, who plays in Spain with Leganes following a loan move from Borussia Dortmund this summer, missed their first two group games.
Elim. CAN Maroc 2025 (3e et 4e j.): La liste des Éléphants sélectionnés pic.twitter.com/NNJy1FmFZl
— FIFCI (@FIFCI_tweet) September 27, 2024
Ivory Coast will host the Leone Stars at the Laurent Pokou Stadium in San Pedro on Tuesday, October 11, before heading to Liberia’s Samuel Kanyon Doe Stadium, the neutral home of Sierra Leone, for the reverse fixture.
The Elephants, who are one of only seven teams with an unblemished record in the qualifiers, have yet to drop a point, with two wins from their opening matches, a 2-0 win over Zambia and Chad Republic, respectively.
They currently top Group G with six points as Zambia sit in second place with three points, while Sierra Leone and Chad are third and fourth, respectively, with just one point apiece.
