Cote d’Ivoire head coach Emerse Fae is targeting a deep run at the 2026 World Cup as he plots a way past Norway in the round of 32 at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas Tuesday.
The Elephants qualified for the knockout stages of the tournament for the first time in their history when they finished runners-up to Germany in Group E.
Fae’s side got off to a positive start after beating Ecuador 1-0 on June 15 courtesy of Amad Diallo’s 90th-minute winner before they squandered the lead to lose 2-1 to Germany five days later, with a brace from Deniz Undav (68′, 90+4′) undoing Franck Kessie’s 30th-minute opener.
However, the West Africans bounced back with a 2-0 victory over Curacao on June 21 thanks to a Nicolas Pepe double (7′, 64′) which saw them finish level on six points with Die Mannschaft.
Landslaget made it out of the group phase for the third time after securing second spot in Group I with a record of two wins and one loss, spearheaded by star striker Erling Haaland.
Stale Solbakken’s side made short work of Iraq in their opening match, with Haaland (29′, 43′) bagging a brace in a 4-1 success on June 17 and he got his name on the scoresheet twice again as they defeated Senegal 3-2 six days later.
The Scandinavians put up a fight against France on June 26, but ultimately lost 4-1, although things could have been very different had Jorgen Strand Larsen not missed his penalty in the 50th minute to make it 3-2.
Fae said in an interview that, “Pride is the first word that comes to mind. We knew we could do it, and we also knew it was going to be difficult. We did it.
“On top of that, we finished second. We’re happy and proud, but we’re looking even further ahead. We’re going to rest up well for our next match.
“Ivory Coast deserves this, can enjoy it and can celebrate tonight. They (the fans) can keep cheering us on so we can go as far as possible.”
