World Cup 2026: Nicolas Pépé sends Côte d’Ivoire to the round of 32

After the disappointment of the painful defeat against Germany (1-2), Emerse Faé and his men woke up against the underdog this Thursday and did the job to finish second in Group E, level with Germany, which was beaten (2-1) by Ecuador in the other match.

A historic qualification

For the very first time in its history, Côte d’Ivoire will participate in the second round of the World Cup. A historic qualification, initially delayed on the second matchday, but secured this Thursday on the final day of the group stage, thanks to the seriousness and pride of the Elephants.

As early as the 7^th minute of play, Nicolas Pépé already put Côte d’Ivoire on the right track with a magnificent side-foot finish at the near post, making the most of the decisive pass and the hard work by Yan Diomandé on the left side. Côte d’Ivoire logically controlled the game, though they did not increase their lead before halftime.

In the second half, Nicolas Pépé, once again, took responsibility and doubled the lead for the Elephants shortly after the hour mark (64^th) from a service this time by Ibrahim Sangaré. Despite a few chances, Côte d’Ivoire was unable to find the net again, but managed to keep its clean sheet for the second time in this World Cup after the Ecuador match (1-0).

France or Norway in the round of 16

Overall, Côte d’Ivoire can be proud of its performance in the first round of this World Cup. With six points on the board and only two goals conceded in 3 matches, compared to 4 scored, the Elephants were far from unremarkable. On the contrary, they came close to pulling off the feat of finishing top ahead of Germany.

A promising group stage for the rest of the competition for the Elephants, who might face the French team that they beat (2-1) in the World Cup warm-up in the round of 16, or Norway. The calculation is simple: Côte d’Ivoire will face the second-place team from Group I.

With a squad that is high-quality though not very experienced, Côte d’Ivoire has what it takes to trouble any opponent and should continue to be ambitious for the rest of this 2026 World Cup.