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In a sudden turn of events, Ivory Coast striker Elye Wahi has been granted entry into Canada and will be available for his country's second 2026 World Cup match against Germany.
Initially, the player was denied access to the country due to an arrest on suspicion of intentionally receiving a yellow card in a French Ligue 1 match two weeks before the World Cup began. The alleged motive was to benefit from betting. While no charges have been filed against him yet, he is the subject of an active investigation by the Marseille prosecutor's office, which initially complicated his Canadian visa application.
This was confirmed by the Ivorian Football Federation (FIF), which stated that Wahi had not been allowed to enter Canada for the match against Germany in Toronto. However, just hours later, the FIF announced a change in the situation, confirming that Wahi would be permitted to enter one of the World Cup host nations.
Wahi started in Ivory Coast's victory over Ecuador in their opening World Cup match on Sunday at Philadelphia Field in Pennsylvania. Sources familiar with the case, speaking anonymously as they were not authorized to comment publicly, confirmed that the striker is under active investigation. The inquiry aims to determine whether Wahi, while playing for his club Nice, deliberately received a yellow card against Metz on May 17.
He was arrested by French police on May 29, shortly after scoring two goals in a victory over Saint-Étienne that secured Nice's place in France's Ligue 1.
Wahi was the second player to be denied entry into Canada for the 2026 World Cup, following Ghana midfielder Thomas Partey, who was also barred from entering the country for his team's first match against Panama on Wednesday. Unlike the Ghanaian, however, the Ivorian international was ultimately granted access to the country.
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