At the 2026 World Cup, the German national team will face Ivory Coast in the group stage. The Ivorians are currently challenged at the Africa Cup of Nations. And present a very special strength.
How strong is Ivory Coast? The Ivorian team is currently in Morocco for an endurance test, where they are playing for the Africa Cup of Nations. One can be sure: the representatives of the German national team will also be watching closely. The West Africans will be one of Germany’s three group opponents at the 2026 World Cup.
How good the Ivory Coast team really is will probably only become clear at the Africa Cup in the coming days when the knockout round begins. Because in the group phase, in which 16 of 24 teams qualified for the round of 16, the team was hardly seriously challenged. After a 1-0 draw at the start against Mozambique, they drew 1-1 with Cameroon in a high-class match. This meant that the Ivorians were already safely in the knockout rounds. They therefore played the last group game (3:2 against Gabon) with a B team and rested the majority of their regular players.
The team is the star
The Ivorians finished the World Cup qualification, which was completed shortly before the Africa Cup, without conceding a single goal. There were eight wins in ten games. The goal difference: 25:0. It was always like this: the team stood defensively, successfully completed one of the sparse attacks at some point and finally managed to win confidently over time.
The team from West Africa can rely on one thing above all: team unity. A principle that coach Emerse Faé puts above all else. Also of extraordinary talent. For example, Nicolas Pepé, who is currently showing great performances in Villarreal, Spain, was prevented from taking part in the Africa Cup by making a critical comment to his teammates. The 30-year-old offensive man had previously criticized those players who played for France at a young age only to later switch to the Ivory Coast jersey. Just like some of the “Elefanten” national players did. And by the way, once coach Faé too. “If we had only looked at the sporting aspect, he would have been there”said Faé about Pepé, but he explained: “A nomination also includes things off the pitch.”
Emerse Faé – via detours to the Head coach position
The 41-year-old Ivorian coach has gained an enormous profile in a very short space of time. He has managed to turn a team of rather nameless people into a functioning unit that appears completely loyal and united. Long gone are the days in Ivory Coast when the national team was completely dependent on a leader like Didier Drogba. If the shining light Drogba was in a good mood, Ivory Coast won – that’s how it was.
A tight-knit group is playing there today. Faé built it. The post of national coach was actually not intended for the ex-national player, who once excelled as a central midfielder at FC Nantes. He was hired as assistant coach to Frenchman Jean-Louis Gasset for the 2024 Africa Cup, which took place in the home of the “Elefants”. But when the team suffered a disastrous 4-0 loss to Equatorial Guinea in front of their home crowd in the preliminary round, Gasset was unceremoniously fired.
Africa Cup 2024 – the birth of a great team
Faé took over, brought in former Bundesliga professional Guy Demel, who acted as a TV expert, as an assistant from the press box and achieved a sporting miracle: he not only guided the team into the knockout phase, but then pushed the team around the experienced Franck Kessie onto a wave of success. The Orange team improved from match to match and in the end held the winner’s trophy in front of the joy-drunk fans in Abidjan.
Finding the key players in the team is not easy. The Ivory Coast does not have a real superstar like Nigeria with Osimhen, Senegal with Mané, Egypt with Salah or Morocco with Hakimi. It comes from team unity. Defensive strength is key. Starting with the goalkeeper, where the Ivorians have finally found a really strong successor to Boubacar Barry, who has enjoyed legendary status for years, in the French-born Yahia Fofana. Fofana, who is a regular goalkeeper in Rizespor in Turkey, changed his nationality in 2023 and has since been a solid, very self-confident keeper who the front men can rely on.
The defense is a hit
The showpiece is in front of it. Faé has four first-class central defenders at his disposal, all of whom play important roles in major European clubs. With ex-Frankfurt Evan Ndicka from AS Roma and Bergamo’s Odilon Kossounou – formerly of Bayer Leverkusen – two former Bundesliga players have secured the starting eleven for the Africa Cup. But lurking behind them are two young people, Ousmane Diomandé from Sporting Lisbon and Emmanuel Agbadou (Wolverhampton), who can point to the highest European club level. It’s a quartet that is unrivaled in Africa – the competition just looks on with envy.
Ex-Frankfurt player Evan Ndicka (l.) in the game against Cameroon
Long-time Milan professional Franck Kessie is captain in midfield. The 29-year-old, who now plays for Saudi club Al Ahli, continues to set the pace and rhythm of the team. In recent months he has mostly had the experienced Seko Fofana at his side Rennes Stadium as support, the 30-year-old had to face the tall Ibrahim Sangaré at the start of the Africa Cup Nottingham Forest soft.
A center forward is missing
This defensive block is the showpiece of the Ivorians, whose problems lie further forward. Ex-Dortmunder Sébastien Haller, the only center forward of international caliber, is injured and unable to play, so Faé has to improvise here. He is therefore happy that the young Leipzig player Yan Diomande has recently come to the fore. The 19-year-old fast dribbler only played his first international match in October, but he has quickly become an offensive hopeful on the left wing. On the right, Hoffenheim’s Bazoumana Touré, the next Bundesliga player, could appear in the Ivorian team at the latest at the World Cup; he most recently scored in stoppage time at the Africa Cup to make it 3-2 against Gabon.
In the high-class game against Cameroon – the draw left both of them in an excellent position to reach the round of 16 of the tournament – the Ivorians showed real weaknesses in the game going forward. The Orange team allowed themselves to be intimidated against their opponents, who played extremely aggressively and were strong in duels, and at times completely lost control of the game. In the end, they needed a little bit of luck to get the draw – but that can definitely be seen as a sign of a strong team.
In the round of 16 of the Africa Cup next Tuesday (January 6, 8 p.m.), the Ivorians can show whether they can win the title again this year. Then it’s against Burkina Faso with Leverkusen’s Edmond Tapsoba.
