The Ivory Coast national soccer team achieved a historic victory by becoming the first host country to win the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) since 2006. This triumph marked a remarkable turnaround for a team that almost faced elimination, having only qualified for the knockouts as the fourth best third-placed team. In a celebratory ceremony, the players and their coach, Emerse Fae, were honored with bonus payments and villas by the Ivorian government in recognition of their success.

During the final match against Nigeria, the Ivory Coast team secured a dramatic 2-1 victory, with Sebastien Haller scoring the winning goal. This win not only added to Ivory Coast’s previous AFCON titles in 1992 and 2015 but also placed them on par with Nigeria, each nation now having secured three Cup of Nations triumphs. Head coach Emerse Fae, who took over from the sacked Jean-Louis Gasset mid-tournament, expressed his disbelief and gratitude for the team’s remarkable journey to victory.

He described their success as greater than a fairytale and reflected on the team’s resilience in overcoming difficult moments during the tournament. The players, who were also awarded the national order, received 50 million CFA francs and a villa of equivalent value, while coach Fae was granted 100 million CFA francs for his role in guiding the team to success. This historic achievement has solidified Ivory Coast’s place in AFCON history and brought immense pride to the nation.