Teams are gradually revealing their preliminary squads for the most prestigious tournament in the world, as Argentina did by leaving out six former champions. Now, Ivory Coast, a rival of Ecuador and Germany in the 2026 World Cup, strengthened their squad after forward Ange-Yoan Bonny changed his nationality, and he is expected to be part of the team.
The 22-year-old player was born in France and had been part of the French youth setup, including the U21 team. However, he never debuted with the senior team. Ange-Yoan Bonny, currently an Inter Milan forward, has Ivorian ancestry and therefore was able to process his nationality switch with FIFA.
The decision date for Ange-Yoan Bonny’s nationality switch was Friday, May 8, 2026. Therefore, the player will be eligible for a call-up by Ivory Coast and to represent them at the World Cup. Les Elephants are in Group E at the World Cup, alongside Germany, Ecuador, and Curacao.
Bonny’s season
During the 2025-2026 season, the player has appeared in a total of 45 matches wearing the Nerazzurri jersey across Serie A, Champions League, Coppa Italia, and the Italian Super Cup, scoring seven goals and providing eight assists.
Ange-Yoan Bonny of Inter Milan.
The forward has also played for French clubs L. B. Chateauroux II, in the fifth division, and L. B. Chateauroux, in the second division. He also played for Parma and Inter Milan in Italy.
Huge decision from the youngster
This move could be key for his career and for securing regular call-ups and participation with Ivory Coast, since in France, he had extremely difficult competition to earn a spot as a forward.
France undoubtedly have the best attack at the team level. Bonny would have had to compete against Mbappe, Dembele, Barcola, Olise, Cherki, Kolo Muani, and Marcus Thuram, just to mention the main names. It is truly overwhelming and extremely difficult to leave one of them out of the squad.
