World Cup
Fae Sets Sights on World Cup History as Côte d’Ivoire Return to Global Stage After 12-Year Absence
Côte d’Ivoire head coach Emerse Fae says the Elephants are not travelling to the 2026 FIFA World Cup “for a holiday,” insisting his team is determined to make history as they return to the global showpiece for the first time since Brazil 2014.
In an interview with FIFA’s online platform, the 41-year-old tactician reflected on his side’s flawless qualifying campaign, their ambitions for AFCON 2025 in Morocco, and the challenge of competing against the world’s best in North America next year.
Fae, who guided the Ivorians to a dominant qualifying performance—eight wins, two draws, 25 goals scored, and none conceded—believes expectations are rightfully rising following the team’s resurgence.
“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.”
With the World Cup draw set for Friday, the Elephants’ return comes after back-to-back absences in 2018 and 2022. Fae admitted that missing out again would have been “a terrible failure,” especially with nine African slots now available under the expanded 48-team format.
The Ivorians’ qualifying run was one of the most commanding in the world. Not only did they remain unbeaten, they also did not concede a single goal across ten matches.
Despite having 15 different goalscorers, Fae says he is comfortable without a single talisman leading the line.
“Whether it’s a centre-forward, midfielder or defender getting on the scoresheet is neither here nor there,” he noted. “Spreading the goals around is a real strength. It allows us to be unpredictable and gives us many players who can step in during a long tournament.”
He added that the level of competition within the squad will be instrumental as they prepare for both AFCON 2025 and the World Cup.
Fae also spoke candidly about missing the 2010 World Cup as a player, calling it “a bitter pill to swallow.”
“I never digested it,” he said of his omission from Sven-Goran Eriksson’s squad. “I felt it was unfair.”
That experience, he explained, now guides his own approach to player selection.
“The players know tough choices must be made, but we’ll be as fair as possible. We won’t select someone in the third tier ahead of a competitor in a major league.”
He stressed that he will not take extra players to the final camp only to drop them at the last minute, saying he does not want any player to endure the emotional pain he once felt.
Dual mission: defend AFCON title, then attack the World Cup
Before North America 2026, Côte d’Ivoire face the immediate task of defending their continental crown in Morocco this December and January.
“We want to reclaim the trophy by the end,” Fae said. “We’ll go into the AFCON as holders, and every team will want to knock us off our perch.”
Yet even with AFCON looming, the coach is clear that Côte d’Ivoire’s global ambitions extend further.
“African football is capable of taking its place at the same table as Europe and South America,” he said. “Morocco showed that in 2022. We don’t just want to talk about matching them—we want to emulate what they achieved.”
Fae, who led the Elephants to a dramatic and improbable home triumph at AFCON 2023, says the emotions of that tournament will not be replicated.
“The circumstances were exceptional,” he admitted. “It won’t be comparable to what we lived through at home. But we’ll do everything to make sure it’s a positive experience.”
With Côte d’Ivoire back on the global stage and under the guidance of a coach unafraid to dream big, the African champions are preparing not just to participate—but to challenge the world’s elite once again.
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Iran intends to boycott next week’s World Cup draw due to the limited number of visas allocated to the country’s football federation.
According to the Tehran Times, the United States issued visas to only four members of Iran’s delegation, with requests for three additional visas denied, including one for Iranian Football Federation (FFIRI) President Mehdi Taj.
“We have informed FIFA that the decisions taken are unrelated to sport and that the members of the Iranian delegation will not participate in the World Cup draw,” FFIRI spokesman Mehdi Alavi said on Friday, per the report.
Alavi said the federation has been in contact with FIFA in an effort to resolve the situation.
The World Cup draw will take place on Dec. 5 at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.
The expanded 48-team World Cup is being hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico from June 11 to July 19, 2026. Matches will be played at 16 venues, including three in Mexico and two in Canada.
The draw will sort the teams into 12 groups of four. The top two teams from each group and the eight best third-place teams will advance to the knockout stage.
Iran has secured a spot in its fourth consecutive World Cup and seventh appearance overall.
-Reuters
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African contenders for the 2026 FIFA World Cup now have a clearer picture of their potential paths after FIFA on Tuesday released the draw procedure for the expanded 48-team tournament.
The reveal has triggered fresh calculations among CAF nations, particularly Morocco, Senegal, Tunisia, Algeria, Egypt, Cote d’Ivoire and South Africa, all of whom occupy key seedings ahead of the December 5 draw in Washington.
Crucially, the revised format ensures that the world’s top four teams — Spain, Argentina, France and England — cannot meet before the semi-finals provided they all win their groups. That creates a more predictable bracket for African sides hoping to avoid early clashes with global heavyweights in the group or early knockout phase.
Morocco Lead Africa’s Charge in Pot 2
Africa’s highest-ranked team, Morocco, headline the continent’s representation in Pot 2, joining Croatia, Colombia, Uruguay, Switzerland, Japan, Senegal, Iran, South Korea, Ecuador, Austria and Australia.
The Atlas Lions — World Cup semi-finalists in 2022 — will be looking closely at how the pot structure could determine their route as they aim for another historic run.
Senegal, Africa’s second-highest placed team in the pot, also benefit from a relatively favourable seeding that should help them avoid the strongest UEFA and CONMEBOL sides in the group stage.
Egypt, Algeria, Tunisia and Cote d’Ivoire in Tricky Pot 3
The North African trio of Egypt, Algeria and Tunisia, along with Cote d’Ivoire and South Africa, find themselves in Pot 3, where potential matchups get far more unpredictable.
This group could be drawn against giants like Spain or Argentina in the opening round, or placed in comparatively balanced groups depending on where Pot 1 and Pot 2 teams fall.
For Tunisia and Cote d’Ivoire—regular World Cup qualifiers—the priority will be avoiding early pairings with two European teams, a scenario made possible by UEFA’s expanded 16-team participation.
Ghana, Cape Verde and Potential Play-Off Winners in Pot 4
Ghana and Cape Verde are among the African nations listed in Pot 4, alongside Jordan, Curacao, Haiti, New Zealand and winners from the FIFA Play-Offs.
The pot also leaves room for two African hopefuls who may emerge from the intercontinental play-off tournament.
As the lowest-seeded African participants, Ghana and Cape Verde face the prospect of entering challenging groups with as many as two top-20 teams — one from Pot 1 and another from Pot 2.
Confederation Rules Still Apply
FIFA’s confederation restriction remains in force:
- No group can feature more than one team from the same confederation, except UEFA, which is permitted to have two teams in a group due to its 16 representatives.
For CAF teams, this means avoiding each other in the group stage, but also increases the likelihood of exposure to multiple European opponents.
Countdown to the Draw
The World Cup draw will take place on December 5 in Washington, with the full match schedule — including venues and kick-off times — to be released a day later.
The tournament itself kicks off June 11, 2026, across Canada, Mexico and the United States, with the final set for July 19 in New Jersey.
For Africa’s representatives, the unveiling of the draw format marks the beginning of strategic planning, tactical mapping and renewed hopes of surpassing the continent’s impressive 2022 milestone.
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Spain cannot meet Argentina and France will not face England before the World Cup final — provided they win their groups — after FIFA on Tuesday announced the draw procedure.
The rule aims to maintain competitive balance in the expanded 48-team format, ensuring the top-ranked team (Spain) and number two (world champions Argentina) are in opposite halves of the bracket, with the same applying to number three (France) and number four (England).
The top four seeded countries will not be able to meet until the semi-finals for the first time in the tournament’s history if those teams win their groups.
The 2026 World Cup draw takes place on December 5 in Washington, with the updated match schedule, including stadiums and kick-off times, to be released on December 6.
Hosts Canada, Mexico and the U.S. are in Pot 1 which includes Spain, Argentina, France, England, Brazil, Portugal, Netherlands, Belgium and Germany.
Pot 2 has Croatia, Morocco, Colombia, Uruguay, Switzerland, Japan, Senegal, Iran, South Korea, Ecuador, Austria and Australia.
Pot 3 will include Norway, Panama, Egypt, Algeria, Scotland, Paraguay, Tunisia, Ivory Coast, Uzbekistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and South Africa.
Pot 4 will be Jordan, Cape Verde, Ghana, Curacao, Haiti, New Zealand, and the winners from the European play-off A, B, C and D, and the FIFA Play-Off tournament 1 and 2.
Confederation constraints will apply, with no group having more than one team from the same region except UEFA, which has 16 representatives and can place up to two teams in a group.
The tournament in the U.S., Mexico and Canada kicks off on June 11, with the final on July 19 in New Jersey.
-Reuters
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