Ivory Coast called on several familiar faces in addition to a range of younger standouts in the 28-man preliminary World Cup squad announced by coach Sabri Lamouchi on Tuesday.
Longtime Elephants star and perennial MLS rumor topic Didier Drogba will lead the way up front, while Yaya Touré will anchor the midfield, fresh off his club Manchester City's English Premier League championship.
Liverpool defender Kolo Touré, Yaya's older brother, has also been selected, along with two other impressive EPL performers, Newcastle's midfield terrier Cheik Tioté and Swansea striker Wilfried Bony.
With the nation making its third straight appearance in the tournament, Lamouchi can also call on ample World Cup experience with the likes of Arthur Boka, Didier Zokora and Salomon Kalou.
Ivory Coast will play two warm-up matches in the US as part of the "Road to Brazil" series: against Bosnia-Herzegovina in St. Louis on May 30 and against El Salvador at FC Dallas' Toyota Stadium on June 4.
Les Elephants open their Group C schedule against Japan on June 14, then play Greece in Brasilia on June 19 before clashing with Colombia on June 24 in Fortaleza.
- ROAD TO BRAZIL: Ivory Coast meets Bosnia on May 30, El Salvador on June 4
Complete Ivory Coast squad:
GOALKEEPERS (4):
Copa Barry (Lokoren - Belgium/34yrs)
Gbohouo Sylvain (Sewe Sport - Ivory Coast/25yrs)
Badra Ali (ASEC Mimosas - Ivory Coast/27yrs)
Sayouba Mandé (Stabaek - Norway/20yrs)
DEFENDERS (9):
Kolo Touré (Liverpool - England/33yrs)
Bamba Souleyman (Trabzonspor - Turkey/29yrs)
Jean Daniel Akpa Akpro (Toulouse - France/21yrs)
Arthur Boka (Stuttgart - Germany/31yrs)
Serge Aurier (Toulouse - France/21yrs)
Brice Dja Djédjé (Marseille - France/23yrs)
Didier Zokora (Trabzonspor - Turkey/33yrs)
Benjamin Angoua Brou (Valenciennes - France/27yrs)
Ousman Vieira (Caykur Rizespor - Turkey/27yrs)
MIDFIELDERS (8):
Cheick Tioté (Newcastle - England/27yrs)
Yaya Touré (Manchester City - England/31yrs)
Romaric (Bastia - France/30yrs)
Max-Alain Gradel (St-Etienne - France/26yrs)
Ismaël Diomande (St-Etienne - France/21yrs)
Didier Ya Konan (Hannover - Germany/29yrs)
Constant Djakpa (Eintracht Frankfurt - Germany/27yrs)
Geoffroy Serey Die (Basel - Switzerland/29yrs)
FORWARDS (7):
Wilfried Bony (Swansea - England/25yrs)
Didier Drogba (Galatasaray - Turkey/36yrs)
Gervinho (Roma - Italy/26yrs)
Giovanni Sio (Basel - Switzerland/25yrs)
Seydou Doumbia (CSKA Moscow - Russia/26yrs)
Lacina Traoré (Monaco - France/23yrs)
Salomon Kalou (Lille - France/28yrs)
