Fofana joins ‘Les Aigles’ to close FIFA World Cup 2026 Qualifying campaign
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – New England Revolution defender Mamadou Fofana has been called up by the Mali Men’s National Team for international duty in a pair of October FIFA World Cup Qualifying matches. Mali will close their campaign with matches against Chad on Wednesday, Oct. 8 (12:00 p.m. ET) and at home against Madagascar on Sunday, Oct. 12 (3:00 p.m. ET).
Les Aigles currently sit in fourth place in the Confederation of African Football’s (CAF) Group I with a 3-2-3 record through eight of 10 games played in FIFA World Cup 2026 Qualifying. The winner of each group will directly qualify to the World Cup, while the four best group runners-up will participate in play-offs to determine which team will advance to the inter-confederation play-offs.
Fofana is one of seven Revolution players to earn national team call-ups in October, joining Matt Turner (United States), Alhassan Yusuf (Nigeria), Dor Turgeman (Israel), and Allan Oyirwoth (Uganda) at the senior level, along with Eric Klein and Peyton Miller (United States Under-20). Miller remains away from the team while participating at the 2025 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Chile, where he has appeared in both of the team’s wins to date, including a start in the 3-0 victory over France.
Fofana has collected 46 appearances, including 41 games started, with one goal scored for his native Mali. The 27-year-old most recently featured on Mali’s roster for a pair of World Cup Qualifying matches in September, logging 90 minutes in a shutout victory over Comoros before another 90-minute effort against Group I-leading Ghana. Fofana owns four games played, both starts, for Mali in FIFA World Cup Qualifiers.
In his debut campaign with New England, Fofana has started all 28 of his games played. The central defender recorded his first MLS assist, providing a game-winning helper in a 2-1 win at Columbus on August 23 and earning a selection to the MLS Team of the Matchday 30. Fofana ranks tied for third among MLS defenders this season with 107 combined tackles and interceptions, while his 50 combined blocked shots and passes are fourth most leaguewide.
