Feature
Under Emerse Faé, Ivory Coast arrive with a quiet swagger and a bold question hanging in the air: why not win it? A settled, adaptable defence that didn't concede in qualifying gives them a sturdy spine, and Faé has plenty of attacking riches to call upon. The doubts sit in midfield, where the right combination is still up for debate, and a flat Afcon title defence has tempered some of the summer's loftier hopes.
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.
Nicolas Pépé
The flair man the Elephants will lean on to unpick stubborn defences and tip tight games their way.
Emerse Faé
Not a player, but the coach whose bold ambition and defensive blueprint shape how far this side can go.
Age profile
Club homes
Charleroi2
1899 HoffenheimDefenders
Al-Ahli Jeddah1
AS Roma1
Aston Villa1
Atalanta1+19 more clubs
21 Other · 2 Serie A · +3 more
Experience
The most-capped head in the squad — 1899 Hoffenheim.
Who's getting on the scoresheet.
