Alban Lafont switches his national team allegiance to the Ivory Coast | OneFootball

Panathinaikos goalkeeper Alban Lafont (26), who has joined the Greek side on loan from Nantes, has switched his national team allegiance from France to the Ivory Coast. The 26-year-old has received a first senior call-up from Les Elephants manager Emerse Faé this Wednesday. The Ivory Coast national team will play two 2026 World Cup qualifiers against Burundi and Gabon during the September international break.

Lafont previously represented France at youth level. He also received a call-up from national team manager Didier Deschamps in September 2022 when Hugo Lloris pulled out of the squad through injury. L’Equipe understands that Lafont was eligible to play for the Ivory Coast as his grandmother’s mother was Ivorian. Burkina Faso, the country in which Lafont was born, also tried to convince the Nantes loanee to switch his national allegiance, but the Ivory Coast FA was more convincing.

GFFN | Bastien Cheval