Ivory Coast coach Emerse Faé outlines plan to defeat Gambia
- Omna Taddele
- Mar 23
- 1 min read
Ivory Coast will be hoping to win back-to-back games as they host Gambia on Monday in 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying. The Elephants are currently second in Group F following Gabon’s win over Kenya on Sunday to take top spot.
Ivory Coast come to this encounter after a 1-0 win over Burundi in Meknes, Morocco. 2025 Africa Cup of Nations winning coach Emerse Faé said their game plan for Gambia will be to put maximum pressure on their opponents starting from the onset. "We're going to put pressure on them, go after them up top, play quickly, control the ball, make them move and score goals as quickly as possible."
The Scorpions struggled to defend in a 3-3 draw against Kenya and this will be an even tougher test for them. The star-studded Ivorian team boast a strong attacking line and Faé hopes his charges will do everything to reclaim top spot.
Ivory Coast are second with 13 points while Gabon tops the standing with 15 points. It has been a dreadful campaign for Gambia as they occupy fifth with 4 points.
Group F Table
GP | Points | |
Gabon | 6 | 15 |
Ivory Coast | 5 | 13 |
Burundi | 5 | 7 |
Kenya | 6 | 6 |
Gambia | 5 | 4 |
Seychelles | 5 | 0 |
The group winner qualifies for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Four of the nine group runners-up qualify for a playoff to determine Africa's representative at the intercontintal qualifying playoff.