After 12 years in the wilderness, Côte d'Ivoire returned to the World Cup their first appearance since 2014. Emerse Faé was the man tasked with guiding them back.
Côte d'Ivoire arrive at 2026 as reigning AFCON champions they won the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations at home, a generational moment capped by Sébastien Haller's tournament-clinching goal. Coach Emerse Faé replaced Jean-Louis Gasset mid-AFCON and has kept the job. The squad is built around Franck Kessié, Sébastien Haller, Nicolas Pépé, and a new wave led by Simon Adingra.
Côte d'Ivoire showed enough quality to navigate a challenging group stage, though not without the occasional stumble. In the knockout rounds, they were narrowly knocked out by Norway in the Round of 32. The narrowest of defeats against Norway ended what had been a promising tournament run.
2won2lost
5scored4conceded
Scored in every match eliminated in the group stage.
Sébastien Haller, 31, scored the winning goal in the 2023 AFCON final. His 2022 testicular cancer diagnosis and full return to top-level football at Borussia Dortmund, then Leganés added a redemptive arc to the Ivorian story. Amad Diallo led Côte d'Ivoire's attack with 2 goals 1 in the group stage and 1 in the round of 32 at the 2026 World Cup. Shared the top-scorer honours with Pepe, both with 2. Level with Pepe on 2.
Conceded in only 2 of 4 matches
Faé, a former Ivorian international, took over as interim head coach midway through AFCON 2023 and steered the team to the title. His permanent appointment shortly after made him one of Africa's most promising young managers. Leading Côte d'Ivoire at his first World Cup 2 wins, 2 losses under Faé.
