Ivory Coast v Norway · OurXI

★ The storyline

Ivory Coast bow out

And there it ends. Ivory Coast fall to Norway 2–1 in the round of 32, and a summer of following them is over. It stings now — but what a ride it was, and there's no shame in going out swinging.

WildcardDeveloping

Ivory Coast bow out

And there it ends. Ivory Coast fall to Norway, and a summer of following them is over. It stings now — but what a ride it was, and there's no shame in going out swinging.

TalismanDeveloping

Ivory Coast's Historic Moment Against a Rested Norway

Ivory Coast arrives at its first World Cup knockout stage—a milestone even the storied sides of Drogba and Touré never reached—facing a Norway team that secured their round-of-32 spot early and sent their starters home for the group finale. The match in Arlington pits the Ivorians' defensive discipline against Norwegian attacking ambition, with the stage set for a surprise run deeper into the tournament if they can weather the pressure and deliver when it counts.

Ivory Coast SquadNorway Attack

Source: USA Today — via web search

Why it matters

Round of 32 — win or go home.

Who to watch

Talisman

Nicolas Pépé

Ivory Coast

The flair man the Elephants will lean on to unpick stubborn defences and tip tight games their way.

Talisman

Erling Haaland

Norway

The team's gravity and one of the planet's deadliest finishers, hungry for a long-awaited global stage.

Developing

Ivory Coast are through to the last 32

Ivory Coast are into the last 32. Job done in the group, and now the tournament really begins — one-and-done from here, every match a final.

Developing

Norway are through to the last 32

Norway are into the last 32. Job done in the group, and now the tournament really begins — one-and-done from here, every match a final.

Developing

Norway stun Brazil

The bracket just buckled. Norway, rank 28 to Brazil's 5, found a result nobody outside their dressing room saw coming in the last 16. This is the upset the tournament will remember.

Developing

Norway snatch it late

Right at the death. Norway found the winner deep into stoppage time against Brazil in the last 16 — the kind of goal that empties the lungs of a living room. Heartbreak one end, bedlam the other.