The Confederation of African Football (CAF) President Dr Patrice Motsepe has publicly expressed his support for the Elephants of Ivory Coast ahead of their 2026 FIFA World Cup Round of 32 match against Norway. The game marks a historic milestone for the Ivorian national team, as they have reached the knockout stage of the tournament for the first time in their history.
Ivory Coast's Path to the Knockout Stage
Ivory Coast secured second place in Group E, finishing behind four-time champions Germany. The 2023 Africa Cup of Nations champions opened their campaign with a victory over Ecuador, followed by a narrow 2-1 loss to Germany, and then a decisive 2-0 win over Curaçao. This performance earned them a spot in the Round of 32, where they will face Norway, which finished second in Group I after defeating Iraq and Senegal but losing to tournament favorites France in their final group match.
Notably, this will be the first-ever meeting between Ivory Coast and Norway, whether in competitive or friendly matches, adding an element of unpredictability to the encounter.
Patrice Motsepe's Message of Support
Dr Patrice Motsepe took to his official Instagram page to share a message of encouragement for the Ivorian team. He wrote: "We are all behind Côte d'Ivoire, the Ivorians against Norway. Good luck to my brother Idriss and the Ivorian team." The CAF President's message underscores the continental body's hope that Ivory Coast can advance further in the tournament, contributing to Africa's impressive showing at the World Cup.
Of the ten African nations that qualified for the 2026 World Cup, nine advanced to the knockout stage. The only team eliminated in the group stage was Tunisia, the Carthage Eagles. South Africa (Bafana Bafana) was the first African team to exit in the knockout stage, falling to Canada after a late goal by Stephen Eustaquio.
Norway's Strategy and Coach's Comments
Norway's manager, Stale Solbakken, opted to rest several key players during their final group match against France, as qualification was already secured. This decision drew attention, with Ivory Coast coach Emerse Fae offering his perspective. Fae stated: "In soccer, there’s no truth. I mean, you could have your team and win three group games, you could then lose directly in the knockouts. We’ll see what happens tomorrow and see if it was a good decision for the coach to adjust his team for the last game against France. They’ve got 26 players; he gave the opportunity to every player and I believe it’s good for the group, but we’ll see tomorrow if he was right or not."
Supercomputer Predictions for the Match
According to Opta's supercomputer, which ran 25,000 pre-game simulations, Norway is favored to win the match within 90 minutes, with more than 50% of simulations backing the European side. However, Ivory Coast will look to defy the odds and continue their historic run.
