Côte d'Ivoire are in Group E at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which runs from June 11 to July 19 across 16 stadiums in the USA, Canada, and Mexico. Below you'll find every Côte d'Ivoire group stage match with kickoff times automatically converted to your local timezone. Select your timezone above to get the exact time each Côte d'Ivoire game kicks off wherever you're watching from. No app, no signup — just Côte d'Ivoire's full World Cup schedule in your time.
Côte d'Ivoire are back at the World Cup for the first time since 2014 — ending a 12-year absence that began with one of the most heartbreaking eliminations in tournament history. At Brazil 2014, the Elephants beat Japan in their opener and needed only a draw against Greece in their final group game to advance. Deep into stoppage time, a penalty conceded inside the box led to a dramatic 2-1 defeat that eliminated them on the cruelest possible terms. Twelve years of hurt. They are back, and they have unfinished business.
The man leading them back carries a personal piece of this history. Emerse Faé played for Côte d'Ivoire in their World Cup debut in 2006 — the first time the Elephants ever appeared at a tournament. Twenty years later he is the coach. He took over mid-tournament at the 2023 AFCON after the sacking of Jean-Louis Gasset and guided Côte d'Ivoire to the title — their third ever. That ability to step in cold and deliver under pressure is exactly the kind of character this squad needs on the touchline.
Franck Kessié, the century-cap captain and midfield heartbeat, holds everything together. Ousmane Diomandé, Evan Ndicka and Wilfried Singo form a formidable defensive unit, while in attack Amad Diallo, Nicolas Pépé and the emerging Yan Diomandé give Côte d'Ivoire one of the most exciting attacking options at the tournament. They topped CAF Group F in qualifying with an unbeaten record — eight wins, two draws, and a goal difference of +25, the best in African qualification. This is not a team that scraped through. They dominated their continent.
Côte d'Ivoire have appeared at three previous World Cups — 2006, 2010, 2014 — and exited in the group stage every single time. Group E — Germany, Ecuador, Curaçao, Côte d'Ivoire — gives them the opportunity to finally break that curse. Germany are the group favorites but Ecuador and Curaçao are both very winnable. A squad of this quality, under a coach who knows what this tournament means personally, arriving on the back of an unbeaten qualifying campaign — this feels like the year the Elephants finally go further.
Twelve years is long enough to wait. The 2014 penalty still stings. Time to write a different ending.
