Haller Out of 2025 AFCON with Hamstring Injury

RABAT, Morocco — Sébastien Haller, the Ivory Coast striker who scored the decisive goals in his nation's Africa Cup of Nations triumph two years ago, has been ruled out of the 2025 tournament due to a hamstring injury, the Ivorian Football Federation announced Friday.

The 31-year-old forward sustained the injury on December 14 during a match for his Dutch club Utrecht against NAC Breda. He had been receiving treatment at Ivory Coast's training camp in Marbella, Spain, but medical assessments confirmed he would miss the competition, which begins Sunday across six Moroccan cities. In his place, the federation called up 24-year-old Aston Villa forward Evann Guessand to join the squad.

Haller’s absence represents a major setback for the defending champions, who open their title defense against Mozambique on Wednesday in Marrakech. As hosts of the 2023 edition, Ivory Coast staged a stunning recovery from the brink of elimination in the group stage to lift the trophy. Haller, who missed the initial matches that year because of an ankle injury, returned for the knockout rounds and netted the winner in a 1-0 semifinal victory over Congo before sealing the final with another goal in a...