{"id":2301,"date":"2026-06-11T11:52:21","date_gmt":"2026-06-11T15:52:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/ca\/?post_type=news&#038;p=2301"},"modified":"2026-06-12T17:22:11","modified_gmt":"2026-06-12T21:22:11","slug":"ismael-kone","status":"publish","type":"news","link":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/ca\/news\/ismael-kone\/","title":{"rendered":"Isma\u00ebl Kon\u00e9: Canada&#8217;s box-to-box midfielder, stats and World Cup 2026 role"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>Isma\u00ebl Kon\u00e9<\/strong> is the ball-carrying engine of Canada&#8217;s midfield, and the co-hosts will lean on his ability to drive through the lines at the <a href=\"\/ca\/world-cup-2026\/\">2026 World Cup<\/a>. Still in his twenties, Kon\u00e9 has already racked up a CV across MLS and four European leagues, building the kind of experience Canada will need on the biggest stage.<\/p>\n\n<h2>From CF Montr\u00e9al to Serie A: Isma\u00ebl Kon\u00e9&#8217;s career<\/h2>\n<p>Kon\u00e9 announced himself at CF Montr\u00e9al in MLS before earning a move to England with Watford. Loan spells in France followed at Rennes and Olympique Marseille, and his most recent stop has been in Italy with Sassuolo. The table below covers the seasons tracked in our database rather than full career totals.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table><thead><tr><th>Club<\/th><th>Apps<\/th><th>Minutes<\/th><th>Pass accuracy<\/th><th>Successful dribbles<\/th><\/tr><\/thead><tbody>\n<tr><td>Watford<\/td><td>71<\/td><td>4,124<\/td><td>85%<\/td><td>66<\/td><\/tr>\n<tr><td>Sassuolo<\/td><td>36<\/td><td>2,756<\/td><td>92%<\/td><td>26<\/td><\/tr>\n<tr><td>CF Montr\u00e9al<\/td><td>36<\/td><td>1,744<\/td><td>87%<\/td><td>22<\/td><\/tr>\n<\/tbody><\/table><figcaption>Isma\u00ebl Kon\u00e9&#8217;s tracked midfield output (Squawka database). Loan spells at Rennes and Marseille not shown.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n<h2>What the numbers say<\/h2>\n<p>Kon\u00e9&#8217;s calling card is carrying the ball. In his Watford spell he completed 66 dribbles and attempted 96, the kind of volume that lets Canada break pressure and turn defence into attack in one movement. He is not just a runner, either: he played 119 accurate long balls of 32 metres or more and found the final third with 493 passes over the same period.<\/p>\n<p>The platform underneath that is solid. His pass accuracy has climbed from 85% at Watford to 92% in a more controlled role at Sassuolo, a sign of a midfielder maturing into the tempo-setter Canada need alongside the more positionally disciplined <a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/ca\/news\/stephen-eustaquio\/\">Stephen Eust\u00e1quio<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n<h2>Isma\u00ebl Kon\u00e9&#8217;s Canada and World Cup 2026 role<\/h2>\n<p>For Canada, Kon\u00e9 offers progression and energy from deep. He gives head coach Jesse Marsch a midfielder who can carry the ball into space and feed attackers such as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/ca\/news\/jonathan-david-stats\/\">Jonathan David<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/ca\/news\/alphonso-davies-stats\/\">Alphonso Davies<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/ca\/news\/tajon-buchanan\/\">Tajon Buchanan<\/a>. With Canada in as co-hosts, the focus is on how far that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.canadasoccer.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">young midfield core<\/a> can take them on home soil.<\/p>\n<p>For the bigger picture, read our <a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/ca\/news\/canada-world-cup-profile\/\">Canada World Cup 2026 profile<\/a> and the full <a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/ca\/news\/canada-mens-national-soccer-team-players\/\">Canada squad guide<\/a>. Compare Isma\u00ebl Kon\u00e9&#8217;s numbers with the rest of the Canada squad in our <a href=\"\/ca\/comparison-matrix\/\">player comparison matrix<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n<h2>Canada vs Bosnia: how Isma&euml;l Kon&eacute; fared in the opener<\/h2>\n<p>Kon&eacute; went the distance in central midfield, completing 46 passes at 82% and winning four duels in the 1-1 draw, though Canada lacked a spark through the middle until the substitutes arrived. See our <a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/ca\/news\/canada-vs-bosnia-player-ratings\/\">Canada vs Bosnia player ratings<\/a>.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table><thead><tr><th>Bosnia opener<\/th><th>Stat<\/th><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td>Minutes<\/td><td>90<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Pass accuracy<\/td><td>82%<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Passes completed<\/td><td>46<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Duels won<\/td><td>4<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n<p><strong>What to expect vs Qatar:<\/strong> Canada will want more carrying and progression from Kon&eacute; against Qatar on 18 June at BC Place. See our <a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/ca\/news\/canada-vs-qatar-prediction\/\">Canada vs Qatar prediction<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"schema-faq wp-block-yoast-faq-block\"><div class=\"schema-faq-section\" id=\"faq-question-kone1\"><strong class=\"schema-faq-question\">Who is Ismael Kone?<\/strong> <p class=\"schema-faq-answer\">Ismael Kone is a Canadian central midfielder and one of the national team&#8217;s most exciting young talents. A box-to-box player, he broke through at CF Montreal in MLS before moving to Europe.<\/p><\/div><div class=\"schema-faq-section\" id=\"faq-question-kone2\"><strong class=\"schema-faq-question\">What clubs has Ismael Kone played for?<\/strong> <p class=\"schema-faq-answer\">Kone came through at CF Montreal, moved to Watford in England, spent loan spells in France with Rennes and Marseille, and now plays in Italy with Sassuolo.<\/p><\/div><div class=\"schema-faq-section\" id=\"faq-question-kone3\"><strong class=\"schema-faq-question\">What position does Ismael Kone play?<\/strong> <p class=\"schema-faq-answer\">He plays in central midfield as a box-to-box player who carries the ball through the lines and links Canada&#8217;s defence to attack.<\/p><\/div><div class=\"schema-faq-section\" id=\"faq-question-kone4\"><strong class=\"schema-faq-question\">Will Ismael Kone play at the World Cup 2026?<\/strong> <p class=\"schema-faq-answer\">Kone is expected to be part of Canada&#8217;s midfield at the 2026 World Cup as a key option for the co-hosts, though the final selection rests with head coach Jesse Marsch.<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Isma\u00ebl Kon\u00e9 is the ball-carrying engine of Canada&#8217;s midfield. A look at the box-to-box midfielder&#8217;s stats, clubs and role for the co-hosts at World Cup 2026.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3588,"featured_media":2341,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_focuskw":"Isma\u00ebl Kon\u00e9","_yoast_wpseo_title":"Isma\u00ebl Kon\u00e9: Stats & Canada's WC 2026 Role | Squawka","_yoast_wpseo_metadesc":"Isma\u00ebl Kon\u00e9 is the ball-carrying engine of Canada's midfield. We break down the box-to-box midfielder's stats, clubs and role for the co-hosts at World Cup 2026.","footnotes":""},"tags":[263,262],"news-category":[],"class_list":["post-2301","news","type-news","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-canada","tag-world-cup-2026"],"acf":{"external_featured_image_url":"","hide_featured_image_pattern":false},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.1 (Yoast SEO v27.1.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Isma\u00ebl Kon\u00e9: Stats &amp; Canada&#039;s WC 2026 Role | Squawka<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Isma\u00ebl Kon\u00e9 is the ball-carrying engine of Canada&#039;s midfield. We break down the box-to-box midfielder&#039;s stats, clubs and role for the co-hosts at World Cup 2026.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/ca\/news\/ismael-kone\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Isma\u00ebl Kon\u00e9: Canada&#039;s box-to-box midfielder, stats and World Cup 2026 role\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Isma\u00ebl Kon\u00e9 is the ball-carrying engine of Canada&#039;s midfield. We break down the box-to-box midfielder&#039;s stats, clubs and role for the co-hosts at World Cup 2026.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/ca\/news\/ismael-kone\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Squawka | CA\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/SquawkaFootballNews\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-06-12T21:22:11+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/sites\/15\/2026\/06\/11115051\/ChatGPT-Image-Jun-11-2026-at-04_50_17-PM.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1672\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"941\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@Squawka\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Estimated reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"1 minute\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":[\"WebPage\",\"FAQPage\"],\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/ca\/news\/ismael-kone\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/ca\/news\/ismael-kone\/\",\"name\":\"Isma\u00ebl Kon\u00e9: Stats & Canada's WC 2026 Role | Squawka\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/ca\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/ca\/news\/ismael-kone\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/ca\/news\/ismael-kone\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/sites\/15\/2026\/06\/11115051\/ChatGPT-Image-Jun-11-2026-at-04_50_17-PM.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-06-11T15:52:21+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-06-12T21:22:11+00:00\",\"description\":\"Isma\u00ebl Kon\u00e9 is the ball-carrying engine of Canada's midfield. We break down the box-to-box midfielder's stats, clubs and role for the co-hosts at World Cup 2026.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/ca\/news\/ismael-kone\/#breadcrumb\"},\"mainEntity\":[{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/ca\/news\/ismael-kone\/#faq-question-kone1\"},{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/ca\/news\/ismael-kone\/#faq-question-kone2\"},{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/ca\/news\/ismael-kone\/#faq-question-kone3\"},{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/ca\/news\/ismael-kone\/#faq-question-kone4\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/ca\/news\/ismael-kone\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/ca\/news\/ismael-kone\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/sites\/15\/2026\/06\/11115051\/ChatGPT-Image-Jun-11-2026-at-04_50_17-PM.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/sites\/15\/2026\/06\/11115051\/ChatGPT-Image-Jun-11-2026-at-04_50_17-PM.jpg\",\"width\":1672,\"height\":941,\"caption\":\"Isma\u00ebl Kon\u00e9 in action for Canada ahead of the World Cup 2026\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/ca\/news\/ismael-kone\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/ca\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"News\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/ca\/news\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"Isma\u00ebl Kon\u00e9: Canada&#8217;s box-to-box midfielder, stats and World Cup 2026 role\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/ca\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/ca\/\",\"name\":\"Squawka | CA\",\"description\":\"Soccer Stats, Predictions &amp; Betting\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/ca\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/ca\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/ca\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Squawka | CA\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/ca\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/ca\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/sites\/15\/2026\/06\/10210812\/Squawka-Logo.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/sites\/15\/2026\/06\/10210812\/Squawka-Logo.jpg\",\"width\":1000,\"height\":1000,\"caption\":\"Squawka | CA\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/ca\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/SquawkaFootballNews\/\",\"https:\/\/x.com\/Squawka\",\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/squawkafootball\/\"]},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/ca\/news\/ismael-kone\/#faq-question-kone1\",\"position\":1,\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/ca\/news\/ismael-kone\/#faq-question-kone1\",\"name\":\"Who is Ismael Kone?\",\"answerCount\":1,\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"Ismael Kone is a Canadian central midfielder and one of the national team's most exciting young talents. A box-to-box player, he broke through at CF Montreal in MLS before moving to Europe.\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\"},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/ca\/news\/ismael-kone\/#faq-question-kone2\",\"position\":2,\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/ca\/news\/ismael-kone\/#faq-question-kone2\",\"name\":\"What clubs has Ismael Kone played for?\",\"answerCount\":1,\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"Kone came through at CF Montreal, moved to Watford in England, spent loan spells in France with Rennes and Marseille, and now plays in Italy with Sassuolo.\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\"},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/ca\/news\/ismael-kone\/#faq-question-kone3\",\"position\":3,\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/ca\/news\/ismael-kone\/#faq-question-kone3\",\"name\":\"What position does Ismael Kone play?\",\"answerCount\":1,\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"He plays in central midfield as a box-to-box player who carries the ball through the lines and links Canada's defence to attack.\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\"},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/ca\/news\/ismael-kone\/#faq-question-kone4\",\"position\":4,\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/ca\/news\/ismael-kone\/#faq-question-kone4\",\"name\":\"Will Ismael Kone play at the World Cup 2026?\",\"answerCount\":1,\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"Kone is expected to be part of Canada's midfield at the 2026 World Cup as a key option for the co-hosts, though the final selection rests with head coach Jesse Marsch.\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Isma\u00ebl Kon\u00e9: Stats & Canada's WC 2026 Role | Squawka","description":"Isma\u00ebl Kon\u00e9 is the ball-carrying engine of Canada's midfield. We break down the box-to-box midfielder's stats, clubs and role for the co-hosts at World Cup 2026.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/ca\/news\/ismael-kone\/","og_locale":"en_GB","og_type":"article","og_title":"Isma\u00ebl Kon\u00e9: Canada's box-to-box midfielder, stats and World Cup 2026 role","og_description":"Isma\u00ebl Kon\u00e9 is the ball-carrying engine of Canada's midfield. We break down the box-to-box midfielder's stats, clubs and role for the co-hosts at World Cup 2026.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/ca\/news\/ismael-kone\/","og_site_name":"Squawka | CA","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/SquawkaFootballNews\/","article_modified_time":"2026-06-12T21:22:11+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1672,"height":941,"url":"https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/sites\/15\/2026\/06\/11115051\/ChatGPT-Image-Jun-11-2026-at-04_50_17-PM.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_site":"@Squawka","twitter_misc":{"Estimated reading time":"1 minute"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":["WebPage","FAQPage"],"@id":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/ca\/news\/ismael-kone\/","url":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/ca\/news\/ismael-kone\/","name":"Isma\u00ebl Kon\u00e9: Stats & Canada's WC 2026 Role | Squawka","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/ca\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/ca\/news\/ismael-kone\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/ca\/news\/ismael-kone\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/sites\/15\/2026\/06\/11115051\/ChatGPT-Image-Jun-11-2026-at-04_50_17-PM.jpg","datePublished":"2026-06-11T15:52:21+00:00","dateModified":"2026-06-12T21:22:11+00:00","description":"Isma\u00ebl Kon\u00e9 is the ball-carrying engine of Canada's midfield. We break down the box-to-box midfielder's stats, clubs and role for the co-hosts at World Cup 2026.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/ca\/news\/ismael-kone\/#breadcrumb"},"mainEntity":[{"@id":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/ca\/news\/ismael-kone\/#faq-question-kone1"},{"@id":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/ca\/news\/ismael-kone\/#faq-question-kone2"},{"@id":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/ca\/news\/ismael-kone\/#faq-question-kone3"},{"@id":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/ca\/news\/ismael-kone\/#faq-question-kone4"}],"inLanguage":"en-GB","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/ca\/news\/ismael-kone\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/ca\/news\/ismael-kone\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/sites\/15\/2026\/06\/11115051\/ChatGPT-Image-Jun-11-2026-at-04_50_17-PM.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/sites\/15\/2026\/06\/11115051\/ChatGPT-Image-Jun-11-2026-at-04_50_17-PM.jpg","width":1672,"height":941,"caption":"Isma\u00ebl Kon\u00e9 in action for Canada ahead of the World Cup 2026"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/ca\/news\/ismael-kone\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/ca\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"News","item":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/ca\/news\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Isma\u00ebl Kon\u00e9: Canada&#8217;s box-to-box midfielder, stats and World Cup 2026 role"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/ca\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/ca\/","name":"Squawka | CA","description":"Soccer Stats, Predictions &amp; Betting","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/ca\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/ca\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-GB"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/ca\/#organization","name":"Squawka | CA","url":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/ca\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/ca\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/sites\/15\/2026\/06\/10210812\/Squawka-Logo.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/sites\/15\/2026\/06\/10210812\/Squawka-Logo.jpg","width":1000,"height":1000,"caption":"Squawka | CA"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/ca\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/SquawkaFootballNews\/","https:\/\/x.com\/Squawka","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/squawkafootball\/"]},{"@type":"Question","@id":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/ca\/news\/ismael-kone\/#faq-question-kone1","position":1,"url":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/ca\/news\/ismael-kone\/#faq-question-kone1","name":"Who is Ismael Kone?","answerCount":1,"acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"Ismael Kone is a Canadian central midfielder and one of the national team's most exciting young talents. A box-to-box player, he broke through at CF Montreal in MLS before moving to Europe.","inLanguage":"en-GB"},"inLanguage":"en-GB"},{"@type":"Question","@id":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/ca\/news\/ismael-kone\/#faq-question-kone2","position":2,"url":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/ca\/news\/ismael-kone\/#faq-question-kone2","name":"What clubs has Ismael Kone played for?","answerCount":1,"acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"Kone came through at CF Montreal, moved to Watford in England, spent loan spells in France with Rennes and Marseille, and now plays in Italy with Sassuolo.","inLanguage":"en-GB"},"inLanguage":"en-GB"},{"@type":"Question","@id":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/ca\/news\/ismael-kone\/#faq-question-kone3","position":3,"url":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/ca\/news\/ismael-kone\/#faq-question-kone3","name":"What position does Ismael Kone play?","answerCount":1,"acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"He plays in central midfield as a box-to-box player who carries the ball through the lines and links Canada's defence to attack.","inLanguage":"en-GB"},"inLanguage":"en-GB"},{"@type":"Question","@id":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/ca\/news\/ismael-kone\/#faq-question-kone4","position":4,"url":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/ca\/news\/ismael-kone\/#faq-question-kone4","name":"Will Ismael Kone play at the World Cup 2026?","answerCount":1,"acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"Kone is expected to be part of Canada's midfield at the 2026 World Cup as a key option for the co-hosts, though the final selection rests with head coach Jesse Marsch.","inLanguage":"en-GB"},"inLanguage":"en-GB"}]}},"yoast_title":"Isma\u00ebl Kon\u00e9: Stats & Canada's WC 2026 Role | Squawka","yoast_description":"Isma\u00ebl Kon\u00e9 is the ball-carrying engine of Canada's midfield. We break down the box-to-box midfielder's stats, clubs and role for the co-hosts at World Cup 2026.","yoast_keyword":"Isma\u00ebl Kon\u00e9","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/2301","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/news"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3588"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/2301\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2994,"href":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/2301\/revisions\/2994"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2341"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2301"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2301"},{"taxonomy":"news-category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news-category?post=2301"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}