Ivory Coast national football team

History

Early history: 1960s–1980s

The team played its first international match against Dahomey, now known as Benin, which they won 32 on 13 April 1960 in Madagascar.

The team achieved an 110 victory against the Central African Republic national football team. In 1961 the team made their first appearance in the Africa Cup of Nations. After gaining independence from France, the team finished third in the 1963 and 1965 tournaments.

Ivory Coast's performances in the 1970s were mixed. In the 1970 African Cup of Nations, the team finished top of their group, but lost to Ghana – the powerhouses of African football at the time – in the semi-finals, and went on to finish 4th after losing the third-place play-off to the United Arab Republic (now Egypt). They failed to qualify for the 1972 edition, losing 4–3 to Congo-Brazzaville in the final qualifying round, and then qualified in 1974 but finished bottom of their group with only a single point. Missing the 1976 tournament, the team initially qualified for 1978, beating Mali 2–1 on aggregate, but were disqualified for fielding an ineligible player in the second leg. Mali were also disqualified, due to police and stadium security assaulting the match officials during the first leg, resulting in Upper Volta, who Ivory Coast had beaten in the first qualifying round, inheriting their place.

In 1984, the team hosted the African Cup of Nations for the first time, but failed to get out of their group. In 1986, they narrowly qualified from their group on goals scored, and went on to finish third once more, beating Morocco 3–2 in the third-place play-off.

1990s

At the 1992 Africa Cup of Nations, Ivory Coast beat Algeria 30 and drew 00 with Congo to finish top of their group. An extra-time victory over Zambia and a penalty shoot-out win over Cameroon took them to the final for the first time, where they faced Ghana. The match again went to a penalty shoot-out, which became, at the time, the highest-scoring in international football; Ivory Coast eventually triumphed 11–10 to win the title for the first time. They were unable to defend their title in 1994, losing to Nigeria in the semi-finals.

2000s and World Cup debut

In October 2005, Ivory Coast secured qualification for the 2006 FIFA World Cup, their first-ever appearance at the tournament. Having been drawn into a "group of death" that also featured Cameroon and Egypt, Ivory Coast went into the final match second behind Cameroon, but qualified after beating Sudan 3–1 while Cameroon could only draw with Egypt.

Ivory Coast finished runners-up at the 2006 African Cup of Nations, with the tournament including another lengthy penalty shootout, where Ivory Coast defeated Cameroon 12–11.

In the tournament itself, Ivory Coast were drawn into another group of death, against Argentina, Netherlands, and Serbia and Montenegro. They lost 2–1 to Argentina – with Didier Drogba scoring the team's first-ever World Cup goal in the 82nd minute – and then 2–1 to the Netherlands, meaning they had already been eliminated by the time they played Serbia and Montenegro. After going 2–0 down after just 20 minutes, Ivory Coast came back to win 3–2, with Bonaventure Kalou scoring an 86th-minute penalty to give Ivory Coast their first-ever World Cup victory.

After Uli Stielike left before the 2008 African Cup of Nations due to his son's health, co-trainer Gerard Gili took his position. To compensate of the lack of another co-coach, Didier Drogba acted as a player-coach. This was only the second time that a player had also acted as a coach at the tournament, after George Weah was both player and coach for Liberia during the 2002 tournament.

2010s

Ivory Coast qualified for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa, and were again drawn in a group of death, against five-time champions Brazil, Portugal, and North Korea. Having managed a 0–0 draw against Portugal, a 3–1 defeat to Brazil meant that in order to qualify from their group, they would have to beat North Korea, while Brazil needed to beat Portugal, and thanks to Portugal's 7–0 win over North Korea, there needed to be a substantial swing in goal difference. Ivory Coast won 3–0, but Portugal held Brazil to a 0–0 draw and Ivory Coast were once again eliminated in the group stage.

The team made a third appearance in the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil, where they were drawn into Group C against Colombia, Greece, and Japan. After coming from behind to beat Japan 2–1, Ivory Coast then lost 2–1 to Colombia, leaving their qualification in the balance. In their final match against Greece, the score was 1–1 going into stoppage time, and with Japan losing 4–1 to Colombia, Ivory Coast looked set to qualify. However, in the 93rd minute, Giovanni Sio gave away a penalty which Georgios Samaras converted, giving Greece both the victory and the place in the last 16; Ivory Coast, meanwhile, went out in the group stage for the third tournament in a row.

In 2015, the national team won the Africa Cup of Nations for the second time in Equatorial Guinea, defeating Ghana in a 22-shot penalty shootout, winning 9–8 after a scoreless game.

Ivory Coast failed to qualify for the 2018 FIFA World Cup. After needing a win in their final match against Morocco, they lost 2–0, meaning Morocco qualified instead.

2020s

In early 2024, Ivory Coast hosted the Africa Cup of Nations for the second time. Following a 4–0 defeat to Equatorial Guinea and third-placed finish in the group stage, coach Jean-Louis Gasset was dismissed, and assistant coach Emerse Faé was hired as caretaker in the knockout stages, as the national team qualified as one of the best third-placed teams. Later on, Ivory Coast managed to defeat the defending champions Senegal in the penalty shoot-outs, Mali after extra-time, and DR Congo in the semi-finals. They eventually won the title, defeating Nigeria 2–1 in the final, marking their third victory. For the first time in the history of the African Cup of Nations, the tournament was won by a team that changed coaches during the tournament.

Home stadium

From 1964 to 2020, Felix Houphouet Boigny Stadium, a 50,000-seater stadium in Abidjan was the main venue used to host home matches. In 2020, the 60,000-seat Alassane Ouattara Stadium, also in Abidjan, was opened ahead of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations.

Supporters

Supporters of the Elephants are known to be among the most colorful in Africa. At Ivory Coast matches, the Elephants supporter sections typically include a percussion band that mimics the sounds of an elephant traveling through a forest.

Results and fixtures

Main article: Ivory Coast national football team results (2020–present)

The following is a list of match results in the last 12 months, as well as any future matches that have been scheduled.

2025

• Guessand

• Haller

• Just

• J. David

• Choinière

• Cornelius

• Oluwaseyi

• Koné

• De Fougerolles

• Akpa

• Gbane

• Boga

• Latte Lath

• Kessié

• Diomande

• Bayo

• Sangaré

• Agbadou

• Diakité

• Guessand

• Diomande

• Adingra

• Kessié

• Kessié

• Diomande

• Diallo

• Bayo

• Krasso

• Bouanga

• Guessand

• Touré

2026

• Y. Diomande
• Touré
• Rabia
• Salah
• Doué

Coaching staff

Coaching history

• FRA (1960, 1967–68)
• CIV Alphonse Bissouma Tapé (1965)
• FRG Peter Schnittger (1968–70)
• CIV (1970–72)
• BRA Esquerdinha (1972–74)
• CIV (1976–80)
• FRG Otto Pfister (1982–85)
• BRA Duque (1984)
• ARG Pancho Gonzales (1986)
• CIV Yeo Martial (1987–88, 1992)
• CIV Kaé Oulaï (1989)
• YUG Radivoje Ognjanović (1989–92)
• FRA Philippe Troussier (1993)
• POL Henryk Kasperczak (1993–94)
• FRA Pierre Pleimelding (1994–96)
• FRA Robert Nouzaret (1996–98, 2002–04)
• FRA Patrick Parizon (1999–2000)
• CIV Gbonke Tia (2000–01)
• CIV (2001)
• FRA Henri Michel (2004–07)
• GER Uli Stielike (2007–08)
• FRA Gérard Gili (2008)
• BIH Vahid Halilhodžić (2008–10)
• CIV (2010)
• SWE Sven-Göran Eriksson (2010)
• CIV François Zahoui (2010–12)
• FRA Sabri Lamouchi (2012–14)
• FRA Hervé Renard (2014–15)
• FRA Michel Dussuyer (2015–17)
• BEL Marc Wilmots (2017)
• CIV Ibrahim Kamara (2018–20)
• FRA Patrice Beaumelle (2020–22)
• FRA Jean-Louis Gasset (2022–24)
• CIV Emerse Faé (2024–)

Players

Current squad

The following players were selected for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations.

Caps and goals updated as of 10 January 2026, after the match against Egypt.

Recent call-ups

The following players have also been called up to the squad within the last twelve months and are still eligible to represent.

• DEC Player refused to join the team after the call-up.
• INJ Player withdrew from the squad due to an injury.
• PRE Preliminary squad.
• SUS Suspended from the national team.

Records

|121 |7

Top goalscorers

Competitive record

FIFA World Cup

Africa Cup of Nations

Main article: Ivory Coast at the Africa Cup of Nations

:*Denotes draws include knockout matches decided via penalty shoot-out. :**Gold background colour indicates that the tournament was won. :***Red border colour indicates tournament was held on home soil.

African Nations Championship

FIFA Confederations Cup

African Games

CECAFA Cup

Main article: CECAFA Cup

UEMOA Tournament

Main article: UEMOA Tournament

Honours

Intercontinental

• Afro-Asian Cup of Nations
  • Runners-up (1): 1993

Continental

• CAF Africa Cup of Nations
  • [[File:Coppa Africa.svg|22px]] Champions (3): 1992, 2015, 2023
  • [[File:Silver medal africa.svg|15px]] Runners-up (2): 2006, 2012
  • [[File:Bronze medal africa.svg|15px]] Third place (4): 1965, 1968, 1986, 1994
• CAF African Nations Championship
  • [[File:Bronze medal africa.svg|15px]] Third place (1): 2016
• African Games****1
  • [[File:Bronze medal africa.svg|15px]] Bronze medal (1): 1965

Regional

• CEDEAO Cup
  • Champions (3): 1983, 1987, 1991
  • Runners-up (1): 1985
  • Third place (1): 1990
• West African Nations Cup
  • Third place (2): 1983, 1984
• UEMOA Tournament
  • Champions (2): 2007, 2008

Awards

• African National Team of the Year (3): 1992, 2015, 2024
• Africa Cup of Nations Fair Play Award (1): 2012

Summary

;Notes:

1. Competition organized by ANOCA, officially not recognized by FIFA.

References

References

1. "FIFA".
2. "Jeux Sportifs de la Communauté Française 1960 (Tananarive)".
3. "Ivory Coast - List of International Matches".
4. "Ivory Coast national football team - history and facts".
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6. "African Nations Cup 1972".
7. "African Nations Cup 1974".
8. "African Nations Cup 1976".
9. "African Nations Cup 1978".
10. "African Nations Cup 1984".
11. "African Nations Cup 1986".
12. (1992-01-13). "AFCON 1992 : Ivory Coast beats Algeria 3-0".
13. (1992-01-13). "Ivory Coast draws with Congo-Brazzaville to reach AFCON quarterfinals".
14. "Ivory Coast beats Zambia in extra time to advance to AFCON semifinals".
15. "Ivory Coast beats Cameroon in shoot out to reach AFCON final".
16. "Ivory Coast beats Ghana in shoot out to win 1992 AFCON".
17. "Nigeria beats Ivory Coast in shoot out to reach AFCON final".
18. "World Cup 2006 Qualifiers : Ivory Coast beats Sudan 3-1 to qualify for 2006 World Cup".
19. "Ivory Coast beats Cameroon in shoot out to advance to AFCON semifinals".
20. "2006 FIFA World Cup".
21. (2006-06-10). "World Cup 2006 : Argentina defeats Ivory Coast 2-1".
22. (2006-06-10). "World Cup 2006 : Netherlands defeats Ivory Coast 2-1".
23. (2006-06-10). "World Cup 2006 : Serbia and Montenegro and Ivory Coast eliminated from FIFA World Cup".
24. Reuters. (2008-01-20). "Ivory Coast coach Stielike will not rejoin squad".
25. (2010-06-15). "World Cup 2010 : Group G".
26. (2010-06-15). "World Cup 2010 : Ivory Coast and Portugal play out 0-0 draw".
27. (2010-06-15). "World Cup 2010 : Brazil defeats Ivory Coast 3-1".
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30. (2010-06-15). "World Cup 2010 : Portugal and Brazil qualify for the Round of 16".
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32. (2014-06-14). "World Cup 2014 : Group C".
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41. (11 February 2024). "Host nation Ivory Coast continues miraculous run to AFCON final to set up a matchup against Nigeria". CNN.
42. (11 February 2024). "Nigeria 1–2 Ivory Coast". BBC Sport.
43. video, From nearly eliminated in the group stage to champions That was the incredible journey of the "Elephants" to ultimate glory Here's how they did it A. must-watch. "Ivory Coast's Miraculous AFCON 2023 Triumph: From Rock Bottom to African Glory".
44. (2020-10-05). "AFCON 2023: Ivory Coast opens 60,000-seater stadium". [[Vanguard (Nigeria).
45. Merrill, Austin. (2010-06-16). "Ivory Coast Draws Against Portugal, but Drums the Place to Life".
46. (June 10, 2025). "Canada wins inaugural Canadian Shield Tournament despite penalty shootout loss to Ivory Coast".
47. (9 December 2025). "Title holders Cote d'Ivoire name 26-man TotalEnergies CAF AFCON squad as Zaha returns and Adingra misses out".
48. Roberto Mamrud. "IvoryCoast – Record International Players".
49. "Ivory Coast".