Cote d'Ivoire penalty taker

Our final filed Cote d'Ivoire hierarchy had Franck Kessie first, with Oumar Diakite next in line.

Franck Kessie is still the best current Cote d'Ivoire answer. He took and scored the huge AFCON knockout penalty against Senegal and also converted the decisive final kick in the shootout. Later qualifier evidence against Sierra Leone showed Cote d'Ivoire using two takers in the same match, with Kessie taking the first penalty and Oumar Diakite scoring the second. That keeps the hierarchy at medium rather than high, but it still leaves Kessie as the strongest primary on both big-match status and order.

If you searched for Cote d'Ivoire penalty taker, the hierarchy at the top is the final tournament-cycle answer we filed. The evidence trail underneath shows why that order was published.

For World Cup 2026, the final filed order placed Franck Kessie first for Cote d'Ivoire, with Oumar Diakite as the closest backup.

Squad check: Franck Kessie and Oumar Diakite are named in the 26-man World Cup squad.

Coach: Emerse Faé Ivory Coast announced their final squad on May 15. Clément Akpa withdrew injured, and was replaced by Christopher Opéri on May 29.

This section records the squad and hierarchy context that informed the published World Cup call.

Tournament outcomes are being checked separately so the original forecast remains distinguishable from the final event record.

Spot a hierarchy shift, a squad-specific wrinkle or a stronger team signal? Contact us here. If you are close to the Cote d'Ivoire setup and have stronger information, that is exactly the kind of update we want.