Crystal Palace forward Evann Guessand made his FIFA World Cup finals debut for Ivory Coast in Saturday’s 2-1 Group E defeat to Germany in Toronto. The 24-year-old was introduced in the 75th minute, giving Palace another active tournament storyline after a record club contingent travelled to the expanded 2026 finals.
According to Crystal Palace’s official World Cup tracker, Guessand had been an unused substitute in Ivory Coast’s opening 1-0 win over Ecuador before coming on against Germany. The Elephants led through Franck Kessie, but Deniz Undav equalised after half-time and then struck again in added time to leave Ivory Coast with a narrow defeat.
Guessand still has a clear route to the knockouts
The result makes Thursday’s meeting with Curacao in Philadelphia a significant one for Guessand and Ivory Coast. They remain on three points after two matches, and a win would put them in a strong position to reach the last 32, either through Group E’s automatic places or the expanded tournament’s best third-placed route.
For Palace, the appearance matters beyond a single cameo. Guessand has now joined the club’s growing list of World Cup minutes this month, alongside first-team team-mates including Chris Richards, Daichi Kamada, Ismaila Sarr, Chadi Riad, Daniel Munoz and Jefferson Lerma.
It also gives Pierre Sage another summer checkpoint on a forward who will return to Selhurst Park with tournament experience, and potentially knockout-stage football, before Palace’s European season begins.
