Football in Ivory Coast

Football is the most popular sport in Ivory Coast.[1][2] The national team won the Africa Cup of Nations in Senegal in 1992.[3] 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 Ivory Coast have won several continental titles. The Ivory Coast national team won a second African cup of nations in 2015.[4]

Football in the Ivory Coast
CountryIvory Coast
Governing bodyIvorian Football Federation
National team(s)men's national team
National competitions
Club competitions
International competitions

Famous players from the country include Kolo Touré, Didier Drogba,[5][6] 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.

Main article: Ivorian football league system

Level

League(s)/Division(s)

1

Ligue 1
14 clubs

2

Ligue 2 Poule A
12 clubs

Ligue 2 Poule B
12 clubs

3

Championnat D3 Poule A
10 clubs

Championnat D3 Poule B
10 clubs

Championnat D3 Poule C
9 clubs

Championnat D3 Poule D
9 clubs

International Competitions

National Teams

In 1984 the Ivory Coast 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.[7] In 2006, for the first time in its history, Ivory Coast 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 Ivory Coast has also won several small subregional tournaments (West Africa) 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
Main article: Ivory Coast women's national football team

The women's national team qualified for the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup.[8]

References
  1. Kingsley Kobo. "Snubbing the Elephants of Ivory Coast". Retrieved 30 March 2016.
  2. "'Football only unifying force in Ivory Coast'". FOOTBALL. AlJazeera. Retrieved 10 August 2013.
  3. "The time is now for Ivory Coast". AFRICA CUP OF NATIONS 2012. AlJazeera. Retrieved 10 August 2013.
  4. "Ivory Coast 0-0 Ghana (9-8 on penalties)". BBC Sport. Retrieved 30 March 2016.
  5. "Cote d'Ivoire: The golden generation | Al Jazeera America". America.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 2014-06-30.
  6. Wilson, Jonathan (2014-06-10). "World Cup 2014: age begins to tarnish Ivory Coast's golden generation | Football". theguardian.com. Retrieved 2014-06-30.
  7. "Egypt win Cup after penalty drama". 10 February 2006. Retrieved 2 May 2019 – via news.bbc.co.uk.
  8. Kessel, Anna (19 June 2015). "Ivory Coast exit Women's World Cup as Africa pleads for more support - Anna Kessel". the Guardian. Retrieved 5 April 2018.
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