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Shortly after learning Simon Mignolet had been called up to Belgium's World Cup squad, Ivory Coast manager Sabri Lamouchi released his 28-man preliminary squad ahead for the summer tournament. With it, Liverpool now know they will have at least nine players heading to Brazil this summer, with Kolo Toure the latest but perhaps not the last.
The 28-man preliminary squad includes both those who will be in the main squad and also those who will end up on the standby list. Having started in his country's last two matches, Toure seems likely to end up in the main squad regardless of whether he starts, with upcoming friendlies against Bosnia-Herzegovina and El Salvador likely to provide the answer to just what his role will be.
Ivory Coast kick off their World Cup on June 14th against Japan in Group C action, where they will be considered favourites alongside Colombia. However, with Greece and opening match opponents Japan rounding out a very strong group, advancement is far from certain for either the Africans or South Americans.
Other Premier League players in the Ivory Coast squad are Manchester City's Yaya Toure, Newcastle's Cheik Tiote, and Swansea's Wilfried Bony.
