Ivory Coast tries to maintain African momentum in the World Cup
Ivory Coast enters the field this Tuesday (30) against Norway, in the round of 16 of the 2026 World Cup, looking to not only achieve an unprecedented feat in the competition, but also maintain the good moment of the African teams in the recent history of the tournament.
In the last editions of the World Cup, the continent's teams were no longer seen as underdogs. Morocco in 2022, for example, reached the semifinals of the World Cup, being the first African team to achieve the feat. Brands have opened a new perspective for Africa.
Now, it's Côte d'Ivoire's turn to try to write new chapters. The Ivorian team had never passed the group stage in previous appearances. Between 2006 and 2014, the so-called "Drogba generation" faced difficult groups and was eliminated at every opportunity.
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The current generation led by players like Yan Diomande reaches the knockout stage in a different scenario and can, for the first time in history, reach the round of 16.
African growth in World Cups
The growth of the African continent in World Cups has been gradual. Before Morocco in 2022, only three teams reached the quarterfinals.
- Cameroon, in 1990;
- Senegal, in 2002;
- Ghana, in 2010.
In the 2026 edition, Ivory Coast faced a group with Germany, Ecuador and Curaçao, and came in 2nd place. The team won six points, beating Ecuador and Curaçao. Against Germany, the draw was narrowly avoided, with a goal conceded in the last moments of the match.
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Nicolas Pépé scored both goals for Ivory Coast over Curaçao in the World Cup - Disclosure / @fifaworldcup_fr
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Ivory Coast players celebrate - Disclosure / FIFA
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Nicolas Pépé scored both goals for Ivory Coast over Curaçao in the World Cup - Disclosure / FIFA
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Ivory Coast players celebrate - Disclosure / FIFA
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Latest World Cups for Côte d'Ivoire
Côte d'Ivoire participated in three other World Cups before 2026. The last one was in 2014, in Brazil, when it came close to reaching the knockout stage for the first time in history.
The other editions in which it was present were in 2006 and 2010, in Germany and South Africa, respectively.
With the 2-0 victory against Curaçao in the last round of the group stage of this World Cup, the African team reached the mark of 12 games in the World Cup, with five wins, one draw and six defeats. There are 17 goals scored and 16 conceded in history.
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Source: CNN