Côte d'Ivoire is here! On Saturday, June 6th, the West African nation, also known as Ivory Coast or Les Elephants, landed in the United States and arrived at their hotel in Wilmington, Delaware, greeted by a packed street of fans in green, orange, and white.
For the duration of their 2026 FIFA World Cup campaign, which will includes two group stage matches in South Philadelphia, Subaru Park will be Ivory Coast’s official home base for training.
Côte d'Ivoire Group Stage Schedule
Ivory Coast will play two of their three group stage matches in Philly, but that won’t be the extent of their presence in the area this summer. Not only will they train at Subaru Park and the renowned WSFS Bank Sportsplex, they’ll also take part in two free events hosted by the Union -- a tune-up friendly against Union II and a community training the day before their first match.
- June 8th: Ivory Coast vs Union II, Subaru Park, 7:00 pm ET
- June 13th: Ivory Coast Community Training, Subaru Park, 6:30pm ET
- June 14th: Ivory Coast v. Ecuador, Philadelphia Stadium, 7:00 pm ET
- June 20th: Ivory Coast vs Germany, Toronto Stadium, 4:00 pm ET
- June 25th: Ivory Coast v. Curaçao, Philadelphia Stadium, 4:00 pm ET
From Africa to America: Meet Les Éléphants
2026 marks Ivory Coast’s fourth-ever World Cup appearance, and their first since the 2014 edition in Brazil. In that most recent campaign, they finished third in Group C with 1 win and 2 losses. This time around, the team was drawn into a Group E with Germany, Ecuador, and Curaçao.
This year, the country earned a spot by way of the African Qualifiers, finishing first with an unbeaten record of eight wins and two draws. The team didn’t concede a single goal in all 10 matches of the qualifying stage.
Key Players
Ivory Coast has a strong veteran core, led by team captain Franck Kessié in the midfield. He’s represented Les Éléphants in several tournaments, including the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and multiple Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) campaigns. Nicknamed The President, Kessié brings leadership, physicality, and attacking quality to the squad. The box-to-box midfielder will be a vital asset to the squad offensively, finishing off his club season with Al-Ahli Saudi FC with 5 goals and 3 assists. Before joining the Saudi Pro League, Kessié enjoyed stints across Europe, including at Atalanta, AC Milan, and FC Barcelona.
Anchoring the back line is Evan Ndicka — standing at 6-foot-four, the 26-year-old left-footed cetnerback has established himself as one of Ivory Coast’s most valuable defenders. Born in France, he’ll represent his mother’s homeland. Ndicka finished his 2026 season in Serie A playing for AS Roma with 3 goals and 14 clean sheets.
Their are eight pairs of brothers in this World Cup, and Ivory Coast’s Guéla Doué is half of one of those duos. His brother, Desiré Doué is a budding international star, playing in Ligue 1 for back-to-back European Champions Paris Saint-Germain. Desiré was named the UEFA Champion’s League Young Player of the season and FIFA Club World Cup Best Young Player of the tournament. Guéla is two years older, also playing in Ligue 1 for Strasbourg.
Ivory Coast Fast Facts
- This is Ivory Coast’s fourth World Cup ((2006, 2010, 2014, 2026)
- They last played in the World Cup in Brazil 2014
- Ivory Coast has won AFCON three times (1992, 2015, and 2023)
- Overall World Cup Record: P9 W3 D1 L5 F13 A14
- The team is led by Head Coach Emerse Faé
- Ivory Coast defeated France 2-1 in a friendly on June 4th
- Guéla Doué’s brother, Desiré plays for France. They are one of eight pairs of brothers in this year’s tournament.
- The country has a population of 33.5 million people – the third largest in West Africa.
