First Touch ’26 - Ivory Coast

For many fans, Ivory Coast will always be the land of Drogba, the Touré brothers, and a golden generation that helped pause a civil war and made the Elephants a global cult favorite. In this World Cup Capsule, David Gass revisits that era and then shifts to the present, where Côte d’Ivoire enter 2026 as defending African champions and one of the continent’s most exciting teams. We track their evolution from early AFCON contenders to three-time champions, including two epic penalty-shootout wins over Ghana, then relive their improbable AFCON 2024 triumph on home soil. Qualifying for 2026 without conceding a single goal, Ivory Coast now blends stars from Europe’s biggest leagues with a strong domestic pipeline and dual-national pickups, with Amad Diallo and Franck Kessié leading the new wave. After missing the last two World Cups, the Elephants are back—and anything less than the knockout rounds will feel like a disappointment.