Christ Inao Oulaï, revelation of the 2026 World Cup?

In exactly 4 days, the 2026 World Cup will be officially launched at the Azteca Stadium with the opening match between Mexico and South Africa. This 23rd edition is highly anticipated. Selections are also expected to go as far as possible. Côte d'Ivoire is very ambitious for its fourth participation and will be able to count on its 20-year-old jewel, Christ Inao Oulaï.

Remarkable beginnings with the Elephants

The 2025-2026 season is full of good news for Christ Inao Oulaï. The Ivorian international midfielder won in Trabzonspor. As a direct consequence, he was called up for the first time to the national team of Côte d'Ivoire. On November 14, 2025, he honored his first selection in the friendly match against Saudi Arabia. From his very first steps, the native of Yopougon has given satisfaction. 

After 9 matches with Côte d'Ivoire, Christ Inao Oulaï has positioned himself as a credible alternative in the inter-game. The player is an early talent. He shone at CAN 2025, his first major competition with the Elephants. Against Gabon in the third group match, Trabzonspor’s midfielder delivered a crazy performance: 96% successful passes (64/67), 100% successful passes on his half of the field (26/26), 93% successful passes on the opposing half of the field (38/41), 75% success on long passes (3/4), 85 touches from the ball, 3 dribbles made out of 4 attempts, 6 digs, 2 interceptions, 7 ground duels won out of 11, 4 defensive assists and 2 fouls suffered. 

Across the entire AFCON 2025, Christ Inao Oulaï is the author of 5 successful dribbles, 8 tackles and 92.93% of successful passes. Both offensively and defensively, the 20-year-old player was there. Since then, the former member of SC Bastia has remained on this beautiful dynamic. Recently against the French team, which came on at the 68th minute, he managed to stabilize the midfield of the Elephants. 22 minutes were enough to show all his qualities: 94% of successful passes (15/16), 100% of successful passes in the half of ground for France. He is already ready for the 2026 World Cup.

A first high-level season with Trabzonspor

In August 2025, Trabzonspor attempted the Christ Inao Oulaï bet. The latter signed until June 2030 from SC Bastia. For his first season under the colors of the Turkish club, the native of Yopougon was radiant. He is an indisputable starter with 31 games played for 2 goals and 4 assists. The Ivorian international played his part for the beautiful season achieved by his club; third place in the Super Lig and the Turkish Cup won. 

Christ Inao Oulaï is a complete midfielder. He is able to play in front of the defense and as a linebacker. Real box-to-box, it has a large volume of game, an unparalleled game vision, and tactical maturity. He shines with his very precise passes thanks to this technical ability and ease in playing both feet. He clearly makes things easier for his offensive players. 

In the Super Lig this season, Inao played 25 games including 24 starts for 4 goals and 2 assists. In the game, it is a real boost for Trabzonspor. He is the author of 91% successful passes, 89% successful passes in the opposing side, 66% successful dribbles, 56% duels won (56% on the ground and 53% in the air), 5 balls recovered, 2 tackles per match. 

Christ Inao Oulaï has everything to distinguish himself against Ecuador (June 14, Philadelphia, Germany (June 20, Toronto) and Curaçao (June 25, Philadelphia) in the first round at the 2026 World Cup or more. The player trained at the JMG Academy in Abidjan is already a real asset for the Elephants.