Ivory Coast
Shirt badge/Association crest
Nickname(s)Les Éléphants (The Elephants)
AssociationFédération Ivorienne de Football (FIF)
ConfederationCAF (Africa)
Sub-confederationWAFU (West Africa)
Head coachJean-Louis Gasset
CaptainSerge Aurier
Most capsDidier Zokora (123)
Top scorerDidier Drogba (65)
Home stadiumStade Alassane Ouattara
FIFA codeCIV
First colours
Second colours
FIFA ranking
Current 49 Increase 1 (21 December 2023)[1]
Highest12 (February 2013, April–May 2013)
Lowest75 (March–May 2004)
First international
 Ivory Coast 3–2 Dahomey 
(Madagascar, 13 April 1960)
Biggest win
 Ivory Coast 11–0 Central African Republic 
(Abidjan, Ivory Coast; 27 December 1961)
Biggest defeat
 Netherlands 5–0 Ivory Coast 
(Rotterdam, Netherlands; 4 June 2017)
World Cup
Appearances3 (first in 2006)
Best resultGroup stage (2006, 2010, 2014)
Africa Cup of Nations
Appearances25 (first in 1965)
Best resultChampions (1992, 2015)
African Nations Championship
Appearances5 (first in 2009)
Best resultThird place (2016)
FIFA Confederations Cup
Appearances1 (first in 1992)
Best resultFourth place (1992)
Websitefifciv.com

The Ivory Coast national football team (French: Équipe de football de Côte d'Ivoire, recognized as the Côte d'Ivoire by FIFA[2]) represents Ivory Coast in men's international football. Nicknamed the Elephants, the team is managed by the Ivorian Football Federation (FIF). Until 2005, their greatest accomplishment was winning the 1992 African Cup of Nations against Ghana on penalties at the Stade Léopold Sédar Senghor in Dakar, Senegal. Their second success came in 2015, again defeating Ghana on penalties in Bata, Equatorial Guinea. The team represents both FIFA and Confederation of African Football (CAF).

The team had their best run between 2006 and 2015 when they qualified for three consecutive FIFA World Cups and won the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations.

History

1960s

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 took a large 110 victory against the Central African Republic. 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.

1970s

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. They qualified in 1974 but finished bottom of their group with only a single point, then failed to qualify in 1976, again losing to Congo-Brazzaville (now simply known as the Congo) in the first round.

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, and so Upper Volta, who Ivory Coast had beaten in the first qualifying round, inherited their place.

1980s

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 water, losing to Nigeria in the semi-finals.

The Ivory Coast team is notable for having participated in (and won) the two highest-scoring penalty shoot-outs in international football competition — the 24-shot shoot-out in the final of the 1992 African Cup of Nations when Ghana was defeated 11–10, and the 24-shot shoot-out in the quarter-final of the 2006 African Cup of Nations, when Cameroon was defeated 12–11. In 2015, Ivory Coast once again defeated Ghana in the final of an 2015 African Cup of Nations with a 22-shot shoot-out, winning 9–8.

2000s and World Cup debut

In October 2005, Ivory Coast secured qualification for the 2006 FIFA World Cup, which was to be 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.

In the tournament itself, Ivory Coast were drawn into another Group of Death, against Argentina, Holland, 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. Despite 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 national team lineup before a match against Poland in 2010

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, 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 stages.

2014

Logo until 2014

The team made a third appearance in the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil, where they were drawn in 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.

The team's streak of World Cup qualifications came to an end at the 2018 tournament. Needing a win in their final match against Morocco, they instead lost 2–0, meaning Morocco qualified instead.

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.[3]

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

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

  Win   Draw   Loss   Fixture

2023

24 March 2023 AFCON qualification Ivory Coast  3–1  Comoros Bouaké, Ivory Coast
17:00 UTC±0
Report Stadium: Stade Bouaké
Referee: Abdel Aziz Mohamed Bouh (Mauritania)
17 June 2023 AFCON qualification Zambia  3–0  Ivory Coast Ndola, Zambia
15:00 UTC+2
Report Stadium: Levy Mwanawasa Stadium
Referee: Bamlak Tessema Weyesa (Ethiopia)
9 September 2023 AFCON qualification Ivory Coast  1–0  Lesotho San-Pédro, Ivory Coast
16:00 UTC±0 Report Stadium: Laurent Pokou Stadium, San-Pédro
Referee: Samuel Uwikunda (Rwanda)
14 October Friendly Ivory Coast  1–1  Morocco Abidjan, Ivory Coast
Report
Stadium: Felix Houphouet Boigny Stadium
17 October Friendly Ivory Coast  1–1  South Africa Abidjan, Ivory Coast
Report Stadium: Felix Houphouet Boigny Stadium
Referee: Benoit Badot (Burkina Faso)
17 November 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification Ivory Coast  9–0  Seychelles Abidjan, Ivory Coast
19:00 UTC±0
Report Stadium: Stade Olympique d'Ebimpé
Referee: Adalbert Diouf (Senegal)

2024

6 January Friendly Ivory Coast  5–1  Sierra Leone San Pedro, Ivory Coast
17:00 UTC±0}
Report
Stadium: Laurent Pokou Stadium
Referee: Dedjinnanchi Ahomlanto (Benin)
13 January 2023 AFCON Ivory Coast  2–0  Guinea-Bissau Abidjan, Ivory Coast
20:00 Stadium: Alassane Ouattara Stadium
18 January 2023 AFCON Ivory Coast  v  Nigeria Abidjan, Ivory Coast
20:00 Stadium: Alassane Ouattara Stadium
June 2026 FIFA WC Qualifier Ivory Coast  v  Gabon TBD, Ivory Coast

2025

March 2026 FIFA WC Qualifier Ivory Coast  v  Gambia TBD, Ivory Coast
September 2026 FIFA WC Qualifier Ivory Coast  v  Burundi TBD, Ivory Coast
September 2026 FIFA WC Qualifier Gabon  v  Ivory Coast TBD, Gabon
October 2026 FIFA WC Qualifier Ivory Coast  v  Kenya TBD, Ivory Coast

Coaching staff

Position Name
Head coach France Jean-Louis Gasset
Assistant coaches Ivory Coast Kolo Touré
Ivory Coast Maxime Gouamené
Goalkeeping coach Ivory Coast François Kouakou
Doctor Ivory Coast Rodrigue Kouassi
Physiotherapists Ivory Coast Aurélien Koffi
Ivory Coast Gervais Soumaré
Ivory Coast Bakary Mendy
Masseur Ivory Coast Patrice Ouattara
Ostheopath Ivory Coast Mahamadou Bakayoko
Team nutritionist Ivory Coast Elysée Sawadogo
Team cook Ivory Coast Aminata Sidibé
Ivory Coast Ezechiel Koné
Ivory Coast Yahia Diawara
Team coordinator Ivory Coast Alphonse Sangaré
Technical director Ivory Coast Boubacar Barry
Head of delegation Ivory Coast Didier Zokora

Coaching history

Players

Current squad

The following players have been selected for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations in January 2024.[4]

Caps and goals updated as of 13 January 2024, after the match against Guinea Bissau.[5]

No. Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club
23 1GK Badra Ali Sangaré (1986-05-30) 30 May 1986 31 0 South Africa Sekhukhune United
1 1GK Yahia Fofana (2000-08-21) 21 August 2000 7 0 France Angers
16 1GK Charles Folly Ayayi (1990-12-29) 29 December 1990 2 0 Ivory Coast ASEC Mimosas

17 2DF Serge Aurier (captain) (1992-12-24) 24 December 1992 89 4 England Nottingham Forest
3 2DF Ghislain Konan (1995-12-27) 27 December 1995 32 0 Saudi Arabia Al-Fayha
7 2DF Odilon Kossounou (2001-01-04) 4 January 2001 19 0 Germany Bayer Leverkusen
12 2DF Willy Boly (1991-02-03) 3 February 1991 17 1 England Nottingham Forest
5 2DF Wilfried Singo (2000-12-25) 25 December 2000 12 0 France Monaco
21 2DF Evan Ndicka (1999-08-20) 20 August 1999 7 0 Italy Roma
2 2DF Ousmane Diomande (2003-12-04) 4 December 2003 5 1 Portugal Sporting CP
26 2DF Ismaël Diallo (1997-01-29) 29 January 1997 0 0 Croatia Hajduk Split

15 3MF Max Gradel (1987-11-30) 30 November 1987 107 17 Turkey Sivasspor
8 3MF Franck Kessié (1996-12-19) 19 December 1996 70 9 Saudi Arabia Al-Ahli
4 3MF Jean Michaël Seri (1991-07-19) 19 July 1991 50 4 England Hull City
18 3MF Ibrahim Sangaré (1997-12-02) 2 December 1997 37 11 England Nottingham Forest
13 3MF Jérémie Boga (1997-01-03) 3 January 1997 16 2 France Nice
6 3MF Seko Fofana (1995-05-07) 7 May 1995 14 6 Saudi Arabia Al-Nassr
14 3MF Oumar Diakité (2003-12-20) 20 December 2003 6 0 France Reims
24 3MF Simon Adingra (2002-01-01) 1 January 2002 5 1 England Brighton & Hove Albion
9 3MF Jonathan Bamba (1996-03-26) 26 March 1996 6 1 Spain Celta Vigo
27 3MF Jean Thierry Lazare (1998-03-07) 7 March 1998 2 1 Belgium Union Saint-Gilloise
25 3MF Idrissa Doumbia (1998-04-14) 14 April 1998 2 0 Qatar Al Ahli

19 4FW Nicolas Pépé (1995-05-29) 29 May 1995 39 10 Turkey Trabzonspor
20 4FW Christian Kouamé (1997-12-06) 6 December 1997 25 3 Italy Fiorentina
22 4FW Sébastien Haller (1994-06-22) 22 June 1994 21 8 Germany Borussia Dortmund
10 4FW Karim Konaté (2004-03-21) 21 March 2004 11 2 Austria Red Bull Salzburg
11 4FW Jean-Philippe Krasso (1997-07-17) 17 July 1997 11 4 Serbia Red Star Belgrade

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.

Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club Latest call-up
GK Ira Eliezer Tapé (1997-08-31) 31 August 1997 2 0 Ethiopia Bahir Dar Kenema 2023 AFCON PRE
GK Issa Fofana (2004-01-30) 30 January 2004 0 0 Sudan Al-Hilal 2023 AFCON PRE
GK Mohamed Koné (2002-03-07) 7 March 2002 0 0 France Le Havre 2023 AFCON PRE

DF Eric Bailly (1994-04-12) 12 April 1994 49 2 Spain Villarreal 2023 AFCON PRE
DF Simon Deli (1991-10-27) 27 October 1991 27 0 Turkey Adana Demirspor 2023 AFCON PRE
DF Sinaly Diomandé (2001-04-09) 9 April 2001 11 0 France Lyon 2023 AFCON PRE
DF Hassane Kamara (1994-03-05) 5 March 1994 9 0 Italy Udinese 2023 AFCON PRE
DF Abakar Sylla (2002-12-25) 25 December 2002 6 0 France Strasbourg 2023 AFCON PRE
DF Emmanuel Agbadou (1997-06-07) 7 June 1997 4 0 France Reims 2023 AFCON PRE
DF Koffi Kouao (1998-05-20) 20 May 1998 0 0 France Metz 2023 AFCON PRE
DF Bamo Meïté (2001-12-03) 3 December 2001 0 0 France Marseille 2023 AFCON PRE
DF Christopher Opéri (1997-04-29) 29 April 1997 0 0 France Le Havre 2023 AFCON PRE
DF Anthony Tra Bi Tra (1998-12-27) 27 December 1998 0 0 Ivory Coast ASEC Mimosas 2023 AFCON PRE
DF Armel Zohouri (2001-04-05) 5 April 2001 0 0 Moldova Sheriff Tiraspol 2023 AFCON PRE
DF Souleyman Doumbia (1996-09-24) 24 September 1996 8 1 France Angers v.  Comoros, 28 March 2023

MF Jean-Philippe Gbamin (1995-12-25) 25 December 1995 16 0 France Dunkerque 2023 AFCON PRE
MF Hamed Traorè (2000-02-16) 16 February 2000 9 2 England Bournemouth 2023 AFCON PRE
MF Paul Akouokou (1997-12-20) 20 December 1997 4 0 France Lyon 2023 AFCON PRE
MF Amad Diallo (2002-07-11) 11 July 2002 4 1 England Manchester United 2023 AFCON PRE
MF Peodoh Pacome Zouzoua (1997-04-30) 30 April 1997 4 0 Tanzania Young Africans 2023 AFCON PRE
MF Jean N'Guessan (2003-04-17) 17 April 2003 1 0 France Metz 2023 AFCON PRE
MF Jean-Eudes Aholou (1994-03-20) 20 March 1994 4 0 France Strasbourg v.  Comoros, 28 March 2023

FW Wilfried Zaha (1992-11-10) 10 November 1992 33 5 Turkey Galatasaray 2023 AFCON PRE
FW Maxwel Cornet (1996-09-27) 27 September 1996 31 6 England West Ham United 2023 AFCON PRE
FW Jean Evrard Kouassi (1994-09-25) 25 September 1994 13 1 China Zhejiang 2023 AFCON PRE
FW David Datro Fofana (2002-12-22) 22 December 2002 3 0 England Burnley 2023 AFCON PRE
FW Evann Guessand (2001-07-01) 1 July 2001 0 0 France Nice 2023 AFCON PRE
FW Bénie Traoré (2002-11-30) 30 November 2002 0 0 France Nantes 2023 AFCON PRE

  • 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

As of 20 November 2023[6]
Players in bold are still active with Ivory Coast.

Most capped players

Didier Zokora, the all-time most capped player for Ivory Coast.
Rank Player Caps Goals Career
1 Didier Zokora 123 1 2000–2014
2 Kolo Touré 120 7 2000–2015
3 Max Gradel 107 17 2011–present
4 Didier Drogba 105 65 2002–2014
5 Yaya Touré 101 19 2004–2015
6 Siaka Tiéné 100 2 2000–2015
7 Salomon Kalou 96 27 2007–2017
8 Abdoulaye Traoré 90 49 1984–1996
9 Serge Aurier 89 4 2013–present
10 Arthur Boka 88 1 2004–2015

Top goalscorers

Didier Drogba, the all-time top goalscorer for Ivory Coast.
Rank Player Goals Caps Ratio Career
1 Didier Drogba (list) 65 105 0.62 2002–2014
2 Abdoulaye Traoré 49 90 0.54 1984–1996
3 Djohan Tiéhi 28 50 0.56 1985–1999
4 Salomon Kalou 27 96 0.28 2007–2017
5 Gervinho 23 86 0.27 2007–2021
6 Ibrahima Bakayoko 22 39 0.56 1996–2002
7 Laurent Pokou 21 30 0.7 1967–1980
8 Yaya Touré 19 101 0.19 2004–2015
9 Aruna Dindane 18 62 0.29 2000–2010
10 Wilfried Bony 17 58 0.29 2010–2019
Max Gradel 17 107 0.16 2011–present

Competitive record

FIFA World Cup

FIFA World Cup record Qualification record
Year Round Position Pld W D* L GF GA Squad Pld W D L GF GA
Uruguay 1930 Part of  France Part of  France
Italy 1934
France 1938
Brazil 1950
Switzerland 1954
Sweden 1958
Chile 1962 Did not enter Did not enter
England 1966
Mexico 1970
West Germany 1974 Did not qualify 6 3 2 1 8 7
Argentina 1978 6 3 2 1 11 10
Spain 1982 Did not enter Did not enter
Mexico 1986 Did not qualify 4 1 1 2 6 5
Italy 1990 4 1 2 1 5 1
United States 1994 8 4 3 1 12 6
France 1998 2 0 1 1 1 2
South Korea Japan 2002 10 5 4 1 22 10
Germany 2006 Group stage 19th 3 1 0 2 5 6 Squad 10 7 1 2 20 7
South Africa 2010 17th 3 1 1 1 4 3 Squad 12 8 4 0 29 6
Brazil 2014 21st 3 1 0 2 4 5 Squad 8 5 3 0 19 7
Russia 2018 Did not qualify 8 4 2 2 11 5
Qatar 2022 6 4 1 1 10 3
Canada Mexico United States 2026 To be determined 2 2 0 0 11 0
Morocco Portugal Spain 2030 To be determined
Saudi Arabia 2034
Total Group stage 3/22 9 3 1 5 13 14 88 47 26 15 166 72

Africa Cup of Nations

Africa Cup of Nations record
Year Round Position Pld W D* L GF GA
Sudan 1957Part of  France
United Arab Republic 1959
Ethiopia 1962Not affiliated to CAF
Ghana 1963
Tunisia 1965Third place3rd320154
Ethiopia 1968Third place3rd531196
Sudan 1970Fourth place4th5212119
Cameroon 1972Did not qualify
Egypt 1974Group stage7th301225
Ethiopia 1976Did not qualify
Ghana 1978Banned
Nigeria 1980Group stage6th302123
Libya 1982Did not enter
Ivory Coast 1984Group stage5th310244
Egypt 1986Third place3rd530275
Morocco 1988Group stage6th303022
Algeria 19906th310235
Senegal 1992 Champions 1st 5 2 3 0 4 0
Tunisia 1994Third place3rd5311115
South Africa 1996Group stage11th310225
Burkina Faso 1998Quarter-finals7th4220106
Ghana Nigeria 2000Group stage9th311134
Mali 200216th301214
Tunisia 2004Did not qualify
Egypt 2006 Runners-up 2nd 6 3 2 1 6 5
Ghana 2008 Fourth place 4th 6 4 0 2 16 9
Angola 2010Quarter-finals8th311154
Gabon Equatorial Guinea 2012 Runners-up 2nd 6 5 1 0 9 0
South Africa 2013 Quarter-finals 5th 4 2 1 1 8 5
Equatorial Guinea 2015 Champions 1st 6 3 3 0 9 4
Gabon 2017 Group stage 11th 3 0 2 1 2 3
Egypt 2019 Quarter-finals 5th 5 3 1 1 7 3
Cameroon 2021 Round of 16 10th 4 2 2 0 6 3
Ivory Coast 2023Qualified as hosts
Morocco 2025 To be determined
Kenya Tanzania Uganda 2027 To be determined
Total2 Titles25/3699442926144103
*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

African Nations Championship record
Appearances: 5
Year Round Position Pld W D* L GF GA
Ivory Coast 2009Group stage8th301204
Sudan 2011Group stage12th310224
South Africa 2014Did not qualify
Rwanda 2016Third place3rd6402104
Morocco 2018Group stage14th301203
Cameroon 2020Did not qualify
Algeria 2022Quarter-finals6th411233
Total Third place 5/7 19 6 3 10 15 18

FIFA Confederations Cup

FIFA Confederations Cup record
Year Round Position Pld W D* L GF GA Squad
Saudi Arabia 1992 Fourth place 4th 2 0 0 2 2 9 Squad
Saudi Arabia 1995 to Russia 2017 Did not qualify
TotalFourth place1/10200229

African Games

African Games record
Year Rank Pld W D L GF GA
Republic of the Congo 19653000000
Kenya 19875000000
Total2/4000000

CECAFA Cup

Honours

Africa Cup of Nations

See also

References

  1. "The FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking". FIFA. 21 December 2023. Retrieved 21 December 2023.
  2. "FIFA". fifa.com. Archived from the original on 6 October 2021.
  3. "AFCON 2023: Ivory Coast opens 60,000-seater stadium". Vanguard News. 5 October 2020. Archived from the original on 7 September 2021. Retrieved 7 September 2021.
  4. "Côte d'Ivoire : la liste pour la CAN sans Zaha, avec 2 blessés et 3 surprises !". 28 December 2023.
  5. https://int.soccerway.com/matches/2024/01/13/africa/africa-cup-of-nations/cote-divoire/guinea-bissau/4262293/
  6. Roberto Mamrud. "IvoryCoast – Record International Players". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 10 July 2022. Retrieved 24 January 2017.
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