Côte d’Ivoire national football team secured a historic place in the World Cup knockout rounds for the first time after defeating Curaçao national football team 2-0 on Thursday, June 25.
Forward Nicolas Pépé scored in each half to guide Les Éléphants to victory, capping a memorable group-stage campaign in their fourth World Cup appearance. The West African side opened their tournament with a 1-0 win over Ecuador national football team in Philadelphia, before suffering a defeat to Germany national football team in their second Group E match.
Côte d’Ivoire will return to action on June 30, 2026, against either France national football team or Norway national football team, depending on which side finishes as runners-up in Group I. For Curaçao, the defeat ended hopes of becoming the smallest nation ever to reach the World Cup knockout stages.