Côte d'Ivoire at the FIFA World Cup 2026

History

Côte d'Ivoire have participated in the FIFA World Cup on three previous occasions: Germany 2006, South Africa 2010, and Brazil 2014. In each appearance they were eliminated in the group stage, making 2026 their first World Cup since 2014 and only their fourth overall. At Germany 2006 they were placed in what was dubbed the "Group of Death" alongside Argentina, the Netherlands, and Serbia and Montenegro, finishing bottom despite a 3-2 consolation win over Serbia. In 2010 they were grouped with Brazil and Portugal and again could not advance. In 2014 they beat Japan 2-1 but went out after a 2-1 defeat to Colombia. The Elephants are three-time Africa Cup of Nations champions (1992, 2015, 2023).

Qualification

Côte d'Ivoire topped CAF qualifying Group F with an unbeaten record: eight wins, two draws, zero losses, and a goal difference of +25 - the best offensive record in African qualification. Their direct qualification ended an absence from the World Cup dating back to 2014. It is the first time since 2014 that the Elephants have made it to the global stage. The team was managed throughout the campaign by Emerse Faé, who became a permanent appointment in February 2024 after lifting the AFCON 2023 title as interim coach - the first manager in AFCON history to be appointed mid-tournament and win the title.

Preparation

Emerse Faé announced his final 26-man squad on 15 May 2026. In the March international window Côte d'Ivoire played back-to-back friendlies in England, including a convincing 4-0 win over South Korea. The team opened its pre-tournament training camp at the INSEP centre in Paris, holding its first session on Monday 26 May 2026 under Emerse Faé and his technical staff; fourteen players took part in the opening session (focused on physical assessments and early tactical work) with the rest of the squad arriving in the following hours. On 29 May 2026 the federation confirmed that defender Clément Akpa (AJ Auxerre) was ruled out injured (adductor) and replaced by left-back Christopher Opéri (Istanbul Başakşehir), called up from the reserve list. A final pre-tournament friendly against France is scheduled for 4 June in Nantes; a proposed friendly against Iraq fell through after the federations could not agree on a venue. The team's base camp for the tournament will be in Philadelphia, where they will use the training facilities at Subaru Park, home of the Philadelphia Union. Captain Franck Kessié, with over 100 international appearances, leads a squad that balances experienced veterans such as Seko Fofana and Nicolas Pépé with explosive younger talent. The squad announcement did cause some controversy over certain notable absences.

Squad

Recent results

• 2023-11-17 — CIV 9-0 SEY (qualification)
• 2023-11-20 — GAM 0-2 CIV (qualification)
• 2024-01-06 — CIV 5-1 SLE (friendly)
• 2024-03-23 — CIV 2-2 BEN (friendly)
• 2024-03-26 — CIV 2-1 URU (friendly)
• 2024-06-07 — CIV 1-0 GAB (qualification)
• 2024-06-11 — KEN 0-0 CIV (qualification)
• 2025-03-21 — BDI 0-1 CIV (qualification)
• 2025-03-24 — CIV 1-0 GAM (qualification)
• 2025-09-05 — CIV 1-0 BDI (qualification)
• 2025-09-09 — GAB 0-0 CIV (qualification)
• 2025-10-10 — SEY 0-7 CIV (qualification)
• 2025-10-14 — CIV 3-0 KEN (qualification)
• 2025-11-14 — KSA 1-0 CIV (friendly)
• 2025-11-18 — OMA 0-2 CIV (friendly)
• 2026-03-28 — CIV 4-0 KOR (friendly)
• 2026-03-31 — CIV 1-0 SCO (friendly)