Strasbourg defender Ismael Doukoure has received his first Cote d’Ivoire call-up after being added to Herve Renard’s squad as a replacement for the injured Odilon Kossounou.
The 23-year-old had initially missed out because of competition for places, but has been brought in after Kossounou was injured while playing for Atalanta, according to journalist Malick Traore.
Born in Lille, Doukoure represented France from under-19 level through to the under-23s. He had previously been selected for the France under-23 side despite being younger than the usual age group, but had not featured in an international squad since June 2021.
A versatile right-footed defender, Doukoure can operate in central defence, at right-back or as a defensive midfielder.
He developed initially at Lille before starting his senior career with Valenciennes. The Frenchman joined Strasbourg in January 2022 and has become an established figure in Alsace over the past two or three seasons.
Doukoure was named captain during the 2025-2026 campaign, underlining the confidence placed in him by Strasbourg. He missed the start of the Ligue 1 season against Marseille through suspension and was then unavailable for the match against Lens because of injury.
He has since started all three of Strasbourg’s league matches this season, including Saturday’s 2-1 defeat by Paris FC, when he wore the captain’s armband.
Renard had previously suggested Doukoure was not yet ready for selection, despite recognising his ability.
“He is a young player with enormous qualities, whom I will follow very, very closely, and he was not far from being included in this squad,” Renard said. “It came down to very little. (...) I trusted the four central defenders who were present at the World Cup and who are performing well for now.”
Doukoure will now have the opportunity to demonstrate his value to the Cote d’Ivoire manager.
Luck Zogbe has also been called up after Guela Doue of Bayer Leverkusen suffered a calf injury. The Stade Brestois right-back, who has made one appearance this season, is a direct replacement for Doue.
Zogbe has won four international caps but had not been selected since September 2025.
Cote d’Ivoire will play three home matches during the international break, with one taking place in Bouake and two in Abidjan.
The Orange will face Ghana on 24 September at the Stade de la Paix, followed by a meeting with Somalia on 29 September at the Stade Felix Houphouet Boigny in the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers. They will then play Cameroon in a friendly on 3 October at the Stade Alassane Ouattara d’Ebimpe.