Côte d’Ivoire head coach Emerse Faé says his team is determined to replicate Morocco’s historic run at the FIFA World Cup as they prepare for the 2026 tournament.
The Elephants return to the global stage for the first time since the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, having missed the last two editions. Their qualification campaign was dominant—eight wins, two draws, 25 goals scored and none conceded.
Speaking to FIFA, Faé stressed that his team is not heading to the World Cup just to participate.
“We aren’t going to the World Cup for a holiday,” he said. “We’re thrilled to have qualified, but that wasn’t the end goal. We want to prove that Côte d’Ivoire are capable of making history on the biggest stage.”
He pointed to Morocco’s remarkable semi-final finish at Qatar 2022 as a model the Elephants are aiming to surpass.
“We’re lucky enough to have Morocco’s example to follow, as they did exceptionally well last time out. What they achieved laid down a marker for Africa, and we’ve got to take our cue from it and dream big,” Faé added. “I don’t just mean saying, ‘We’d like to do what Morocco did.’ I mean, ‘We’re going to emulate what Morocco accomplished.’”
Côte d’Ivoire will discover their group-stage opponents at the World Cup draw on Friday, December 5.
Before then, the African champions will shift focus to defending their continental title at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco, scheduled for December and January.
