World Cup Setback: Ivory Coast Force To Change Squad As Akpa Misses Out

Ivory Coast call up Christopher Operi for World Cup 

Ivory Coast reshuffle their World Cup squad after AJ Auxerre’s Clement Akpa suffered an adductor injury. Operi, who was at AFCON 2025, joins the camp in Paris.

 

Ivory Coast lose defender Akpa to injury, Basaksehir’s Operi drafted in...

Ivory Coast have had to reshuffle their World Cup squad after defender Clement Akpa was ruled out injured, the country’s football federation confirmed on Saturday.

Left-back Christopher Operi will replace him. Operi was part of the Elephants’ squad for the Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco earlier this year, but picked up an injury during Ivory Coast’s friendlies against South Korea and Scotland in March.

Akpa, a 5-time international, picked up an adductor injury in training with French club AJ Auxerre and sat out the final Ligue 1 matchday earlier this month.

Operi, who plays for Turkish side Istanbul Basaksehir, has linked up with the Elephants at their Paris training camp.

Ivory Coast face France in a friendly in Nantes on June 4 before flying out for the World Cup. They’ll meet Ecuador, Germany and Curaçao in Group E.