Côte d’Ivoire Named Youngest Squad At 2026 FIFA World Cup

Côte d’Ivoire have been confirmed by FIFA as the youngest squad competing at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

FIFA highlighted the achievement on its official World Cup 𝕏 account on Sunday as the Elephants geared up for their opening match in the expanded 48-team tournament being co-hosted by Canada, Mexico and the United States.

“Introducing Côte d’Ivoire… Youngest squad at the FIFA World Cup 2026” with “Average age: 25.8,” the football governing body wrote.

The recognition showed the transformation of the Ivorian national team under coach Emerse Faé, who has overseen a generational shift since the era of Didier Drogba and Yaya Touré.

Faé has placed his trust in a youthful group drawn from some of Europe’s leading leagues, opting to leave out several experienced players, including 33-year-old forward Wilfried Zaha, who is on loan at Charlotte FC from Galatasaray.

Among the standout youngsters is RB Leipzig forward Yan Diomande, born on November 14, 2006, making him the youngest player in the squad.

He is part of a promising crop of talent featuring Bazoumana Touré of TSG Hoffenheim, Christ Inao Oulai of Trabzonspor, Evann Guessand of Crystal Palace, Guela Doué of Strasbourg, Amad Diallo of Manchester United, Mohamed Koné of Charleroi, Oumar Diakité of Cercle Brugge, Elye Wahi of Nice, Simon Adingra of Monaco, Ange-Yoan Bonny of Inter Milan and Ousmane Diomande of Sporting CP.

Notably, every one of those players is still under the age of 25.

FIFA’s rankings also showed Ecuador as the second-youngest squad at the tournament with an average age of 26 years and 28 days. Morocco followed with 26 years and 144 days, while Bosnia and Herzegovina, Tunisia, Spain, Norway and South Africa also featured among the youngest teams in the competition.