Jonathan Bamba looks primed for a big 2026 season in MLS. After a strong debut campaign in which he established himself as one of the league’s top attacking players and a key part of Chicago Fire’s goal-hungry triple act alongside Hugo Cuypers and Philip Zinckernagel, he’ll now be aiming to turn that promise into even greater production and help push the club another step forward.
Whether that translates into a FIFA World Cup appearance with Côte d’Ivoire later in the year remains to be seen – with the elephant in the room being whether there’s still time to earn a recall to Les Éléphants in time for this summer’s spectacle.
“Of course, it’s a personal goal,” Bamba said Friday, originally in French. “But to return to the national team, I think you need to perform well with your club. I think that if there are good performances, things will work out well going forward. But obviously, it’s a personal objective.”
While he hasn’t received a call-up since the spring of 2024, Bamba is no stranger to the Ivorian national team. The Alfortville-born winger has 10 call-ups for his declared nation, having switched his allegiance from France after representing Les Bleus at various youth levels. Most notably, Bamba was a part of Côte d’Ivoire’s remarkable victory in the 2024 African Cup of Nations on home soil, featuring three times in the tournament, including in the 1-0 semifinal win over the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Although he has not been a part of Emerse Faé’s squads for several windows and did not get a single call-up throughout World Cup Qualifying, Bamba has maintained that he is still in communication with and on good terms with the manager. The 29-year-old said in October that he feels “still competitive” among Côte d’Ivoire’s talented attacking pool, and that he is “always” available for selection.
That talented group, consisting of high-level wingers like Amad Diallo (Manchester United), Wilfried Zaha (Charlotte FC), and Nicolas Pépé (Villarreal), is tough to break back into, but Bamba undoubtedly has all the tools and experience to be on par with any of them.
Côte d’Ivoire return to action in March for their final pre-World Cup camp tune-up friendly matches, including a fixture scheduled against Scotland in Liverpool. They’ve been drawn into a difficult but manageable World Cup group alongside Ecuador, Germany, and newcomers Curaçao.
