Ivory Coast will be opening their 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification campaign with a tricky clash against Seychelles at the Stade Olympique Alassane Ouattara in Abidjan on Friday evening.
Having missed out on the last edition of the mundial, the Ivorians have been drawn in Group F of the qualifying round with an opening game against the island nation.
Match Preview
Ivory Coast missed the 2022 FIFA World Cup competition after finishing second spot in a group which Cameroon emerged winners and went on to eliminate Algeria in the final round of qualification.
The Elephants have improved in their recent games since their failure to make it to last World Cup staged in Qatar, finishing second in their group in the 2023 AFCON qualifiers, which they participated in despite earning automatic qualification as the host nation.
The Ivorians are now unbeaten in their last three matches, including back-to-back 1-1 draws in two friendly matches last month against South Africa and Africa's highest-ranked side, Morocco.
Meanwhile, Seychelles, the second-lowest-ranked team in Africa will be bidding for their first-ever appearance at the FIFA World Cup which is termed to be a tough campaign for them.
They are expected to find it difficult in this one as they come into the match following three consecutive losses in the COSAFA Cup back in July, conceding nine goals in that time.
While the visitors managed a 1-0 win over Bangladesh in a friendly match back in March, that was the only victory they have earned in their last 50 matches in all competitions dating back to 2016.
Seychelles were beaten 4-2 in their last match by Zambia, marking their fifth consecutive home defeat, though the one positive they could take from the match was that it was the first time they scored two goals in a home game since January 2020 when they drew 2-2 against Mauritius.
Team News
Ivory Coast is expected to parade a strong squad with notable names like Wilfried Zaha, Serge Aurier, Nicolas Pepe and Sebastien Haller.
Saudi based midfielder Franck Kessie will be expected to be named in the middle with Jean Micheal Seri with Ibrahim Sangare commanding the back line for the Elephants.
Meanwhile, Seychelles are in crisis as players were reported to have boycotted training ahead of the upcoming games.
Despite the reports, some senior players such as goalkeeper Jerome Dingwall, defender Jones Joubert and midfielders Brandon Labrosse and Elijah Tamboo were all in camp.
Kick-off Time
The match will kick-off at 19:00 GMT (7:00PM)
Prediction
Ivory Coast 4-0 Seychelles
