Ivory Coast, disaster scenario in sight?
Ivory Coast is far from assured of playing in the round of 16 of the 2026 World Cup after its defeat against Germany.
Nothing has yet been done for Ivory Coast in this 2026 World Cup. Yet in a favorable position for almost the entirety of their second match against Germany with the opening score of Franck Kessie (30th), the Elephants finally cracked in the final seconds (Deniz Undav, 68th, 90+4th) and failed to maintain a draw (final score 2-1).
For the moment, Émerse Faé’s men are second in group E (3 points) thanks to their victory against Ecuador (1-0) when they entered the competition, but are not safe from a disaster scenario which would eliminate them from the competition in the group stage.
The fault, in part, in the draw conceded by Ecuador against Curaçao (0-0) in the process, which came to reshuffle the cards and above all prevent the Ivorians from ensuring their qualification with this point obtained.
Ivory Coast eliminated if…
If Ivory Coast wishes to continue its North American adventure, a victory against the Curacians is imperative. This would give them six points, enough to send them to the round of 16 regardless of the result of the group’s other confrontation between the Ecuadorians and the Germans – already qualified thanks to their six points.
In the event of a draw, the Elephants would not be in danger either since they would accumulate four points. This, even if Ecuador were to create a surprise by beating their opponents and thus return to second place, FIFA having established as the first criterion to decide between two teams with equal points the result of their direct confrontation.
On the other hand, in the event of defeat, it will absolutely be a matter of hoping that the Mannschaft does not lose. Otherwise, Ivory Coast will have to be among the eight best third-placed teams, out of twelve in total. So everything is still possible.
