Cote d’Ivoire was not expected to host the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations – the country was instead expected to host the 2021 tournament. However, due to the fact that Cameroon was unable to host its draw on time, the schedule was delayed by two years, and then football officials decided to move the event from summer to winter so as not to jeopardize the matches due to the rainy season. So Ivory Coast held the African Cup of Nations with a huge delay.
Ivory Coast should not have won the African Cup of Nations at home – the team, being on the list of main favorites before the start of the tournament, unexpectedly failed in the group stage, and reached the playoffs only thanks to the equally sensational failure of Ghana. The federation, not really believing in the favorable development of events in the other group playing later, managed to fire the head coach – but it turns out that the next match is in a matter of days! A completely inexperienced coach, appointed in a hurry, suddenly proved that it is still possible to change horses midstream – and won the title!
Whoever, after all this, says that Côte d’Ivoire should not win the 2026 World Cup, because there are many more serious contenders, and African teams have never even reached the World Cup final, has not learned anything from the previous history of the Elephants. If you like sports betting, go to Mostbet com sayti, but in the meantime, it’s worth studying the tournament prospects of the Ivorians.
Qualification Features
Champion of the continent is very important, but even in this status they don’t just let you into the World Championship: you still have to qualify. Due to the fact that starting from 2026, 48 teams will go to the World Cup, the quota for Africa has also expanded, making the task a little easier for the top African teams. However, the Ivorians do not yet have a ticket in their pocket – they still have to work on this.
First, you need to understand what result must be ensured to successfully pass the selection. The essence of the qualification is quite simple: there is a qualifying group F, which, in addition to Côte d’Ivoire, includes the teams of Gabon, Kenya, Burundi, Gambia, and Seychelles. The winner of the sextet will definitely go to the World Cup; Purely theoretically, you can be satisfied with second place, but in this case, it is imperative to score the maximum possible number of points and play at least three additional rounds of the playoffs against equally serious opponents who fell just short. In other words, Bishops should immediately focus only on the first position.
You must play two matches with each opponent in the group – at home and away; There are 10 rounds in total. In the fall of 2023, even before the African Cup of Nations, the teams managed to play a couple of games – according to their results, Côte d’Ivoire scored 6 points and led the sextet. The bad news is that Gabon achieved the same result, and the Elephants were still warming up against very weak opponents – that is, the whole fight is still ahead.
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Qualifying tournament calendar
In the remaining eight rounds, Cote d’Ivoire (38th FIFA ranking team) must score maximum points against the following opponents:
- Gabon is still the main competitor in the standings; June 3, 2024 at home and September 5, 2025 away. The 84th team in the world ranking did not compete at all at the last African Cup of Nations, but they started the qualifications vigorously – they defeated Kenya and Burundi. In the last five head-to-head matches, the Elephants are noticeably stronger – 3 wins and a draw, but the opponents have not met since 2017.
- Kenya – June 7, 2024, away and October 10, 2025, at home. The Kenyans had no chance of coming to the African Cup of Nations in Côte d’Ivoire – FIFA disqualified them during the qualification process for the interference of politicians in the affairs of the federation. For the same reason, 107th place in the ranking should not be taken as a real indicator of the team’s strength – it simply did not play for a certain time. There is no recent history of confrontations with the Ivorians – that is, theoretically, the outcome of the two meetings could be anything.
- Burundi – two matches in 2025: March 17 away, September 1 at home. The 140th FIFA ranked team could be considered the outsider of the group, but it has already managed to show its teeth by beating Gambia. In November 2022, Cote d’Ivoire played a friendly match with this team and did not have the slightest problem – then they won with a score of 4:0.
- Gambia – The Elephants won away 0:2, the home match is scheduled for March 21, 2025. Only in 2022, the team of a small state managed to qualify for the African Cup of Nations for the first time in its history, and immediately reached the quarterfinals, but at the tournament in Cote d ‘She was unlucky in Ivoire – she had no chance in a group with Senegal, Guinea and Cameroon. 130th place in the world ranking is not entirely fair, but half of the confrontation has already been successfully completed for the Ivorians.
- Seychelles is a clear outsider; Cote d’Ivoire won the home match with a score of 9:0 and will travel on October 6, 2025. There is nothing special to add here – the numbers on the scoreboard speak for themselves, as does the 197th place of the Seychellois in the FIFA rankings.
Prospects
Cote d’Ivoire received a pretty good draw – there is no second team in its group that would also really qualify for a spot. If you play the fool, you can give first place to the Gabon national team or one of the other competitors, but only the Ivorians themselves will be to blame for such an outcome. The task of qualifying for the World Cup has not yet been resolved, but fans should not worry too much – their favorites are the main favorites of the sextet, and should not miss their chance. The June matches are a good chance to break away from your pursuers and gain a foothold as a leader.
Although the composition of the participants in the 2026 World Cup is not yet known, bookmakers have already formed odds for the winner of the tournament. Cote d’Ivoire is also on the list of contenders – you can bet on it with a quote of 1 to 151. Considering that you first need to pass the selection, and in the final part there will be as many as 47 other participants, this is still a good estimate. The chances of Egypt, Ghana and Senegal are also rated, and among African teams only Morocco is expected to do better. Qualification from the group at the World Cup looks realistic