Ivory Coast — 2026 World Cup Squad

Start with the spine, because that is where Ivory Coast win or lose this tournament. Evan Ndicka and Ousmane Diomande are the kind of centre-half pairing you build a deep run around: both quick across the ground, both happy to step out and defend in the opposition half rather than camp on their own line. Outside them, Wilfried Singo gives the Galatasaray version of a full-back who treats the touchline as a runway. There is no soft underbelly here.

The midfield reads like a statement. Seko Fofana carries the ball through the lines for Porto with that low, surging stride, while Franck Kessié supplies the steel and the set-piece threat from Al-Ahli. It is a ferocious blend of legs and timing, and it frees the forwards to gamble.

Chief gambler is Amad Diallo, Manchester United's right-sided spark, the man who turns half a yard into a goal or an assist out of nothing. That is the tension worth watching: a defence and engine room built to suffocate opponents, feeding an attacker built to break them. Get the balance right and the Elephants are nobody's idea of an easy draw.