Ivory Coast Faces Mozambique in AFCON Title Defense Opening Match

ISTANBUL, Turkey – The Ivory Coast will begin their Africa Cup of Nations title defense on Wednesday against Mozambique in Group F at the Grand Stadium of Marrakech. The reigning champions aim to break a pattern where no defending champion has retained the trophy since Egypt in 2010.

The Elephants won their last AFCON title in 2023 by defeating Nigeria 2-1 in the final. Coach Emerse Fae believes this tournament is an opportunity to prove that their victory was the start of a new cycle rather than a fluke. Ivory Coast comes into this tournament in solid form, having won four of their last six competitive matches, with a total of 13 goals scored and just one conceded.

In their final preparation for the tournament, Ivory Coast claimed a 2-0 friendly victory over Oman, bouncing back from a previous loss to Saudi Arabia. Their dominance was also evident during World Cup qualifiers, where the Elephants posted an impressive 25 goals and conceded none across their matches, including a 16-0 aggregate win over Seychelles.

Despite the late withdrawal of striker Sebastien Haller due to a hamstring injury, Fae has retained experienced players like Wilfried Zaha and Franck Kessie. Jean-Michael Seri’s return from injury also strengthens the squad. Aston Villa forward Evann Guessand was called up to replace Haller, while notable omissions included Simon Adingra and Nicolas Pepe due to fitness issues.

Historically, the Ivory Coast has an advantage over Mozambique, remaining unbeaten in their last seven encounters with five wins and two draws. Their last match against Mozambique was during the 2022 World Cup qualifiers, where they drew 0-0 in Maputo and won 3-0 at home.

Mozambique approaches the match without pressure, hoping to make an impact after back-to-back qualifications for AFCON. Coach Chiquinho Conde‘s team has not advanced past the group stage in their five previous appearances, making this opening match crucial.

The Mambas’ recent form has seen two wins, one draw, and three losses in their last six competitive matches, with the squad struggling defensively. Veteran player Dominguez, at age 42, could make history as the second-oldest AFCON player.

Despite being without midfielder Pepo due to injury and winger Clesio Bauque for technical reasons, Mozambique hopes to surprise the Elephants and gain confidence in their opening fixture.