Mali have named West Ham midfielder Mohamadou Kante in their squad for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against Rwanda, after the 21-year-old chose the Eagles ahead of France and Senegal.

Kante, whose parents are from Senegal, has received his first senior international call-up as part of Anthony Da Silva’s 24-man squad for the matches on 13 and 17 November.

The defensive midfielder was born in the Paris region and has impressed in a more advanced role for West Ham. He has scored three goals and provided two assists in his past nine appearances for the club.

That form could give Kante an opportunity to feature in attack for Mali, where his physical strength and aerial ability may be valuable if Da Silva opts to use him further forward.

Kante is one of two uncapped players included in the squad. Swansea winger Moussa Yeo, 22, has also been selected for the first time.

Yeo can play on either flank and has scored three goals in his past five matches for Swansea.

The squad also includes the returns of Nantes defender Fode Doucoure, Salzburg midfielder Gaoussou Diakite and Montpellier forward Mamadou Camara following extended absences.

Doucoure and Diakite had not been selected since May, while Camara’s most recent appearance for Mali came at the Africa Cup of Nations in January 2025.

Several established players remain part of Da Silva’s plans, including Hamari Traore, Aliou Dieng, Amadou Haidara, Kamory Doumbia, Lassine Sinayoko, Mamadou Doumbia, Dorgeles Nene and Ousmane Camara.

However, Ange Martial Tia has been ruled out after suffering an ankle injury. The Stade de Reims player had performed well in September.

Adama Camara, who has a hamstring injury, and Lassana Coulibaly, with a biceps femoris problem, are also unavailable.

Mali began their qualifying campaign with victories over Cape Verde and Liberia, beating the former 3-1 before securing a 1-0 win against the latter.

The Eagles and Rwanda are joint leaders of Group K. A successful double-header against Rwanda would move Mali clear at the top and put them significantly closer to qualification for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations.