Ivory Coast Snatch Late Victory and Eye Group Top Spot

Ivory Coast opened their 2026 World Cup campaign with a last-minute victory against Ecuador (1-0) on Sunday, to join Germany at the top of Group E. The Elephants had struck the woodwork three times before finding the breakthrough in added time.

Despite Ecuador’s resistance, Emers Faé’s side never seemed to doubt their quality. Yan Diomandé summed up the team’s mindset: “We didn’t come to participate, we came to make history and go as far as possible. We came to represent 33 million people, we play for our families, our friends and our loved ones.”

Amad Diallo echoed the sentiment, highlighting how unprecedented this tournament appearance is for most of the squad: “It’s the first world competition for each of us. We’re super motivated and we’ve been mentally prepared since the match against France. We’re very happy with this victory, but it doesn’t stop there: there are two upcoming matches we want to approach with the same mentality.”

The next challenge is significant: on Saturday, Ivory Coast face Germany, who thrashed Curaçao 7-1 in the group opener. A result that might have prompted caution, but Emers Faé is not content with the bare minimum. “We want to finish top of this group,” he declared. “We weren’t favorites at the start, but we have the opportunity on Saturday to secure our ticket to the second round, and on top of that to be assured of finishing first. We’re going to give it our all.”

A victory against the Mannschaft would give the Elephants early qualification and group leadership ahead of their final match against Curaçao.