Ivorian clubs all out: Côte d’Ivoire left with no side in CAF group stages

ASEC Mimosas, FC San Pedro, AFAD du Plateau and CO Korhogo were all knocked out in the second preliminary round. Côte d’Ivoire will therefore have no representative in the group stage of either of CAF’s men’s interclub competitions in 2026-2027. Four second-leg defeats wiped out the hopes raised by the first legs and call for a close look at the clubs’ sporting projects.

One win, three draws: after the first legs, all four Ivorian clubs could still hope to continue their African campaigns. The weekend of 24 and 25 October closed every door. ASEC and San Pedro went out of the Champions League; AFAD and Korhogo exited the Confederation Cup.

The second-leg record is harsh: four defeats, two goals scored and seven conceded. But those figures conceal very different scenarios, which need to be understood before any general verdict is passed on the Ivorian league.

ASEC and Korhogo undone in the closing minutes

At the Stade Félix-Houphouët-Boigny on Sunday 25 October, ASEC Mimosas long retained a chance of going through. After the 1-1 draw in Morocco, the Mimosas answered Christopher Ibayi’s opener, in the 62nd minute, through Bakaré Kévin eleven minutes later. At 1-1, the tie was heading for penalties. Khalid Baba changed everything at 90+7: MAS Fez won 2-1 in Abidjan, going through 3-2 on aggregate.

That ending leaves ASEC with an immediate sporting question: how to better manage a game that is still open in its final seconds. It deserves an analysis of positioning, risks taken and end-of-game decisions. The scoreline alone does not allow the blame to be pinned wholly on a player or on the coach.

CO Korhogo also kept the suspense going until the end in Rabat. After the 0-0 first leg, the Calaos equalised through Diby Berneger in the 54th minute, answering Youssef El Fahli’s penalty. AS FAR finally found the decisive goal through Anas Bach, in the 83rd. Korhogo go out on a 2-1 defeat, which is also the aggregate score.

San Pedro turned over, AFAD stopped in Sfax

FC San Pedro, for their part, had an advantage to defend. Winners 2-1 at home, they were beaten 2-0 by FC Nouadhibou on Sunday in Mauritania. Goals from Kartier Dembélé and Cheikh Hattab allowed the hosts to turn the tie around, winning it 3-2 on aggregate. The benefit of the first-leg win did not survive the trip.

For AFAD du Plateau, the second leg tilted very early. On Saturday 24 October, Iyed Belwafi scored in the seventh minute for CS Sfaxien. The Académiciens then failed to equalise. After the 1-1 in Abidjan, this 1-0 defeat eliminates them 2-1 on aggregate.

Two clubs unable to score in the second leg, two others who pulled level and then lost late on: the picture calls for work on both the attacking response and the handling of decisive moments. It does not point to a single cause for the four eliminations.

A continental past that carries weight, and recent runs worth recalling

ASEC, African champions in 1998, and Africa Sports, winners of the African Cup Winners’ Cup in 1999, put Ivorian football on the continental roll of honour. Since Africa’s triumph, no men’s club from the country has won one of CAF’s major interclub trophies.

The wait for a title should not, however, erase the successful campaigns. Séwé Sport reached the Confederation Cup final in 2014. ASEC got to the semi-finals of that competition in 2023, the Champions League quarter-finals in 2024, then the Confederation Cup quarter-finals in 2025. This season’s setback is real; the notion of Ivorian football being absent from every continental showpiece since 1999 would be false.

A review to be opened club by club

The next step should be a concrete review of each team’s preparation: squad retained between seasons, fixture schedule, player availability, coaching staff and travel organisation. Budgets and recruitment choices also deserve to be documented. Without these elements, presenting a lack of money or the level of the league as the established explanation for this collective failure would be to jump to conclusions.

The clubs and the authorities now have specific results to examine. October’s missed opportunity must serve to identify corrections, those responsible for implementing them and deadlines. For Ivorian supporters, the most convincing answer will be to see teams capable of getting past this round and staying competitive over several campaigns.

Rieltony LOUBOKO