Ivory Coast striker barred from World Cup due to betting manipulation

The forward for the Ivory Coast national team and the French club "Nice" Eli Wai was unable to obtain the necessary administrative permits to enter Canada, where his team is scheduled to play its second group-stage match of the 2026 World Cup against Germany. 

Due to legal restrictions, the 23-year-old soccer player is forced to remain in the U.S. and wait for his national team teammates to return from Toronto. The reason for the visa denial was the player’s recent arrest by French police immediately before the start of the World Cup.

French law enforcement authorities detained and questioned the forward as part of a large-scale investigation into possible betting market manipulation. Investigators are thoroughly examining whether the forward intentionally received a yellow card during the French league match between Nice and Metz, which took place on May 17. The French Professional Football League (LFP) detected suspicious activity and an unusually high number of financial bets on the Ivorian player receiving a caution and alerted the police due to signs of so-called “spot-fixing.”

No official charges have been filed against Eli Wai at this time, so after questioning, he was released and allowed to fly to North America. The forward even managed to play 56 minutes in the first-round match against Ecuador (1–0) in Philadelphia, but Canadian authorities blocked his entry due to the pending criminal investigation. As a result, the Ivory Coast national team’s coaching staff will not be able to count on their leading attacking player in the crucial match against Germany, scheduled for June 20.