Canada’s authorities authorized this Thursday the entry of Ivorian striker Elye Wahi to play Saturday’s World Cup match against Germany in Toronto, reversing an initial visa denial linked to a French judicial investigation.
The Ivorian Football Federation (FIF) confirmed in an official statement that the administrative status of the 23-year-old forward has been successfully resolved.
According to the sports governing body, the necessary authorizations for Elye Wahi to cross the border into Canada are now secured, allowing him to join “The Elephants” national team. The federation celebrated the positive outcome and thanked all involved parties for resolving the diplomatic impasse before the crucial Group E encounter against Germany.
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This administrative resolution comes only hours after the Ivorian Football Federation announced that Canada had blocked the entry of the Eintracht Frankfurt attacker.
Under the initial restriction, the national team coaching staff planned for Wahi to remain at the training base camp in the United States. The striker was scheduled to wait there until the delegation returned for their third group stage match against Curaçao in Philadelphia on June 25.
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Mise à jour concernant Elye Wahi
La Fédération Ivoirienne de Football (FIF) informe que la situation administrative d’Elye Wahi a évolué favorablement.
Les autorisations nécessaires à son entrée sur le territoire canadien ont désormais été obtenues.
— Équipe Nationale de Football Cote d’Ivoire
(@equipenatciv) June 18, 2026
The initial entry refusal by Canadian immigration was directly linked to media revelations regarding Wahi’s legal status in Europe.
The French judiciary is currently investigating the player for allegedly manipulating events during a Ligue 1 match. Specifically, authorities are examining whether the forward deliberately received a yellow card during a game between Nice and Metz on May 17, while playing on loan for the French club.
Previous Entry Denials
Reports from sports media outlet The Athletic revealed that French police detained and questioned the young striker ten days prior to the start of the World Cup. Although released shortly after questioning, the existence of an active investigation prompted Canadian authorities to enforce strict border controls. The host nation has maintained a rigid policy regarding international athletes facing legal inquiries or criminal allegations during this tournament.
This strict border policy previously impacted other African delegations participating in the international tournament. Earlier this week, Canadian authorities denied entry to Ghanaian midfielder Thomas Partey, preventing him from participating in Ghana’s match against Panama in Toronto. Despite formal appeals submitted by the government of Accra, Canadian immigration officials upheld the ban.
𝙑𝙤𝙞𝙘𝙞 𝙡𝙚 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙜𝙧𝙖𝙢𝙢𝙚 𝙙𝙚 𝙣𝙤𝙨 𝙀́𝙡𝙚́𝙥𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙩𝙨 𝙥𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙘𝙚𝙩𝙩𝙚 𝙥𝙝𝙖𝙨𝙚 𝙙𝙚 𝙜𝙧𝙤𝙪𝙥𝙚𝙨 𝙙𝙚 𝙡𝙖 𝘾𝙤𝙪𝙥𝙚 𝙙𝙪 𝙈𝙤𝙣𝙙𝙚 2026
𝙏𝙧𝙤𝙞𝙨 𝙢𝙖𝙩𝙘𝙝𝙨, 𝙩𝙧𝙤𝙞𝙨 𝙧𝙚𝙣𝙙𝙚𝙯-𝙫𝙤𝙪𝙨 𝙖𝙫𝙚𝙘 𝙡’𝙝𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙞𝙧𝙚.𝘿𝙞𝙩𝙚𝙨-𝙣𝙤𝙪𝙨 𝙚𝙣… pic.twitter.com/0ia8lNtss9
— Équipe Nationale de Football Cote d’Ivoire
The Ghanaian midfielder currently faces seven charges of rape and one charge of sexual assault in the United Kingdom, stemming from allegations made by four women between 2020 and 2022. While Partey has maintained his innocence and awaits trial, Canada refused to grant him a temporary entry visa. In contrast, Wahi’s administrative status was cleared rapidly, allowing the Ivorian team to count on their star striker for the upcoming match.
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