Eli Junior Kroupi aims to play in the World Cup with France | OneFootball

Eli Junior Kroupi (19) has set competing in the World Cup with the French national team as a career “goal”.

“If you talk to a player and he tells you he doesn’t want to play in the World Cup, it means he doesn’t want to play football,” he confided to Téléfoot. “Obviously, playing in the World Cup with my country would be incredible. But, as I said, it’s not the most important thing. It’s a step along the way, so if it happens, it happens, and if it doesn’t, I tell myself that I should work towards that goal. I’m just going to stay focused on my club so that I can perform well afterwards.”

Having played for the French youth teams since the under-16s, the Lorient native has progressed through all the ranks to reach the under-21s. Naturally, Kroupi now dreams of playing for the French senior team, despite his Ivorian and Portuguese origins, which could also offer him the opportunity to represent either of those two nations.

Although competition within the France squad is notoriously fierce, the young forward remains a player with strong arguments in his favour. After arriving in the Premier League last summer following an exceptional season with FC Lorient, whom he helped promote to Ligue 1 with 23 goals and three assists, Kroupi has continued his momentum, establishing himself as a key player for Bournemouth AFC.

Having played 26 times in all competitions, the Cherries’ number 22 has already scored eight goals since the start of the 2025–26 campaign. A very satisfactory record for a player who made the big leap less than a year ago.

GFFN | Léo Aschi