Ivory Coast’s Elye Wahi has been denied entry into Canada for his country’s next World Cup match – a day after it was revealed that the 23-year-old had been arrested over match-fixing offences.
The Ivorian forward Wahi is the subject of an “active investigation” from the French police to establish whether he deliberately earned a yellow card while playing for Nice against Metz in Ligue 1 on 17 May.
A report in The Athletic detailed that Wahi, who started Ivory Coast’s 1-0 win against Ecuador on Sunday night, was subsequently arrested by French police on 29 May and was released after an interview.
However, the Ivorian Football Federation (FIF) issued a statement on Thursday detailing that Wahi has not been allowed to join the squad for their clash in Toronto against Germany on Saturday as the “necessary administrative authorisations for his entry into Canadian territory could not be obtained at this stage.”
Wahi becomes the second World Cup player who has not been allowed entry into Canada after Ghana’s Thomas Partey – who denies allegations of rape and sexual assault in the UK – was refused entry for his side’s 1-0 win against Panama on Wednesday in Toronto.
Wahi is set to remain at Ivory Coast’s HQ in Philadelphia while his teammates travel north to Toronto.
The FIF said in a statement: “The Ivorian Football Federation has taken note of the various articles and information published on this Wednesday, June 17, 2026, concerning the Ivorian international Elye Wahi.
“To date, the FIF has not been officially notified of any judicial or administrative proceedings involving him.
“In this particularly delicate period, the FIF extends all its support to the player and reaffirms its confidence in him. Elye Wahi remains an important element of the Ivory Coast national team.
“The FIF also informs that the player will not be able to join the delegation’s trip to Canada. Indeed, the necessary administrative authorisations for his entry into Canadian territory could not be obtained at this stage.
“Elye Wahi will therefore remain in the United States pending the team’s return.”
An investigation into Wahi was opened after the Ligue de Football Professionnel (LFP), who run French domestic football, received notifications of suspicious betting patterns involving Wahi receiving a yellow card during Nice’s game against Metz on 17 May, which ended 0-0.
Wahi received a yellow card in the 35th minute for a tackle on Metz’s Sadibou Sane. He also committed a foul two minutes earlier, after a slide tackle on Bouna Sarr.
Wahi’s yellow card was his fifth of the season, which ruled him out of Nice’s relegation play-off first leg against Saint-Etienne. That ended goalless before Wahi returned to score twice in a 4-1 win in the second leg on 29 May. Later that day, he was arrested by anti-corruption officers in the French police.
As things stand, Wahi has not been charged with any crime and travelled to the United States for Ivory Coast’s World Cup campaign.
The striker only switched allegiance to the west African country from France, whom he represented at youth level, in March.
Wahi played 55 minutes in the win against Ecuador, hitting the bar just before being substituted.
