Football in Ivory Coast


Football is the most popular sport in Côte d'Ivoire. The national team won the Africa Cup of Nations in Senegal in 1992. In 2006 they participated in the 2006 World Cup in Germany. The youth national teams have also done well in world championships, and the clubs from Côte d'Ivoire have won several continental titles. The Ivory Coast national team won a second African cup of nations in 2015.
Famous players from the country include Kolo Touré, Didier Drogba, Wilfried Bony, Yaya Touré, Gervinho, Seydou Doumbia, and Salomon Kalou.

National Competitions

The national championship, organised by the Ivorian Football Federation and sponsored by the company Orange, features 16 clubs in Division 1, 36 in Division 2, 36 in Division 3.
Two national cups, the Coupe de Côte d'Ivoire and the Coupe Houphouët-Boigny, put these clubs to grips every year.

International Competitions

National Teams

In 1984 the Côte d'ivoire organized the African Cup of Nations with matches in Abidjan and Bouaké. To support the National team and because of the popularity of this sport in the country, the government decided to close the schools for the duration of the competition. Although the national team was eliminated in the first round of the event, no course took place for 2 weeks.
The national team won the African Cup of Nations in 1992 and was a finalist in the competition in 2006. In 2006, for the first time in its history, Côte d'ivoire qualified for the 2006 FIFA World Cup. In 2008, his Olympic team qualified for the 2008 Summer Olympics.

Clubs

Ivory Coast clubs have won 6 continental trophies: two in the African Champions League, three Cup victories and a cup success of the African Football Confederation.
It should be added that Côte d'ivoire has also won several small subregional tournaments in the club or with its national team. In particular the tournaments of the Council of the Agreement those of ECOWAS or those organised by the UFOA, the Union of the West African Football federations.

Women's football

The women's national team qualified for the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup.