Ivory Coast forward Elye Wahi, 23, was initially denied entry to Canada for the June 21, 2026, FIFA World Cup group match against Germany in Toronto due to missing administrative authorizations but was granted last-minute visa clearance on June 18, allowing him to join his team [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10].

Wahi is under investigation linked to a suspected match-fixing incident involving an unusual volume of bets placed internationally on him deliberately earning a yellow card during a Ligue 1 game between Nice and Metz on May 17, 2026 [1, 3, 5, 6, 11, 9, 10]. On May 29, Marseille prosecutors arrested and questioned a 23-year-old Ligue 1 player, believed to be Wahi, over alleged organized fraud, sports corruption, handling stolen goods, and money laundering. He was released without charge and is not currently facing judicial restrictions, according to his lawyer Marie Dose [1, 3, 5, 6, 11, 9, 10, 7].

The French Football League notified police and gambling authorities after detecting an unusually high number of bets tied to Wahi’s yellow card in the May 17 match [1, 3, 5, 11, 9]. Despite the investigation, the Ivorian Football Federation (FIF) stated it has received no official notification of judicial or administrative proceedings involving Wahi and offered "full support and confidence" to him as an important national team player [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 11, 9, 10, 8].

Wahi, contracted to Eintracht Frankfurt but on loan at Nice this season, scored 9 goals in 18 to 19 appearances. His performance helped Nice reach the French Cup final and avoid relegation after he scored twice in a May playoff [3, 5, 11, 9]. He started and played 55 minutes in Ivory Coast’s 1-0 World Cup group win over Ecuador on June 15 in Philadelphia [1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 8, 11, 9].

The Canadian immigration ministry clarified that authorities can issue temporary resident permits in special cases to individuals normally inadmissible or lacking full entry requirements, which applied to Wahi’s eventual authorization [8]. The Ivorian Football Federation confirmed that "the necessary authorisations for his entry into Canadian territory have now been obtained," enabling Wahi’s travel onwards with the national squad for the June 21 game [7].

Ivory Coast is set to face Germany in Toronto on June 21, with Wahi included in the squad following the visa approval [1, 2, 3, 7, 8, 9, 10].