After ten months of inactivity, the Elephants of Côte d’Ivoire will resume service during the next international truce scheduled for October 5-13.
Indeed, two friendly matches are planned for this purpose. The first against the Belgian team on October 8 at the Roi Baudoin stadium at 8:45 p.m. local time and the second Japan-Côte d’Ivoire on October 13 (time to be confirmed) at the Galgenwaard Stadium in Utrecht in Netherlands.
Note that these two oppositions will serve as preparation matches for the new coach Patrice Baumelle (appointed last March), before the double confrontation against the Madagascar team counting for the 3rd and 4th day of the CAN 2021 qualifiers. these two friendly matches will begin on October 5 in Brussels.
As a reminder, the Ivory Coast football team is the selection of Ivorian players representing the country at international men’s football competitions, under the aegis of the Ivorian Football Federation (FIF).
Côte d’Ivoire has won the African Cup of Nations (CAN) twice, in 1992 and 2015, each time beating Ghana on penalties. In 2015, it has twenty-one qualifications for the final phase of the continental competition (only Egypt did better) and eight podiums. The “Elephants” also participated in three final stages of the World Cup, in 2006, 2010 and 2014, without ever making it through the first round.
Among the football players who have marked the history of the selection, two have won the trophy for African Player of the Year: Didier Drogba and Yaya Touré, respectively two and four times.
The players of the selection train at the National Technical Center of Bingerville and play at the Félix-Houphouët-Boigny stadium located in Abidjan.
The Ivory Coast team is the 5th best African team of all time with 8 medals, 2 gold, 2 silver and 4 bronze medals.