Elye Wahi has been named to the bench for Ivory Coast ahead of tonight’s World Cup showdown with Germany in Toronto.
The striker started and played just under an hour in last weekend’s 1-0 opening win over Ecuador in Group E, hitting the woodwork early in the second half.
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However, Wahi is subject to an investigation into alleged spot-fixing following a Ligue 1 match for Nice against Metz on May 17, for which the Ligue de Football Professionnel (LFP) said an “unusual amount of bets” were placed on him receiving a yellow card.
The Ivorian Football Federation (FIF) initially said that Wahi would not be able to enter Canada, though later released a statement on Thursday to confirm that the “necessary authorisations had been obtained”.
The FIF added that Wahi would “continue his participation in the competition alongside his team-mates as normal”, offering their full support and confidence as they insisted that he “remains an important member” of the team.
He drops to the bench here, though, with Amad Diallo taking his place in the starting XI.
As for Germany, head coach Julian Nagelsmann is not believed to have any new injury concerns after his side demolished World Cup debutants Curacao 7-1 in their Group E opener in Houston.
And he has made no changes to his team for this match, naming an identical side to that which started against Curacao last time out.
Deniz Undav stated his starting case with two goals and as many assists off the bench there, but does not get the nod.
Reports in Germany suggest that Nagelsmann has been rehearsing a number of different formations in training this week ahead of facing Ivory Coast, primarily concerned with combatting their pace down the flanks.
Nagelsmann has plenty of options on the bench if he wishes to make changes, including the likes of Antonio Rudiger, Leon Goretzka, Undav and Nick Woltemade.
Germany saw Bayern Munich’s teenage sensation Lennart Karl ruled out ahead of the tournament with a thigh injury, with Assan Ouedraogo called up as his replacement.
Germany XI: Neuer; Tah, Kimmich, Schlotterbeck, Brown, Pavlovic, Musiala, Wirtz, Sane, Nmecha, Havertz
Ivory Coast XI: Y. Fofana, Konan, Singo, Kossounou, Agbadou, Kessie, Sangare, Oulai, Bonny, Y. Diomande, Diallo
Time and date: 9pm BST on Saturday June 20, 2026
Venue: Toronto Stadium
How to watch: ITV
