World Cup Corner

Côte d’Ivoire have never once qualified for a FIFA World Cup finals, but that could all be about to change.

The Elephants are busy gearing up for their home clash with Cameroon in the ninth and penultimate round of qualifiers, and they go into that game knowing that history beckons. However, Sunday’s visitors have been a thorn in their side more than once in the past, and no one need remind them that the Indomitable Lions harbour their own dreams of appearing in Germany next year.

This weekend’s match in Abidjan is creating a buzz that football in the country has never enjoyed before. All tickets to the game have been sold out – a first in the history of Ivorian football – while the Stade Felix Houphouet Boigny has been given a serious makeover, with the pitch spruced up and new rooms built for the press and anti-doping procedures. Meanwhile, beyond the capital, excitement levels are off the scale.

Much of this is due to the fact that Côte d’Ivoire have never been so close to booking themselves a place at a FIFA World Cup before. Only the qualifying campaign for USA 94 bears any slight resemblance to the current scenario, and on that occasion the Elephants played second fiddle to Nigeria from start to finish. The tension has also been cranked up a notch by the prospect of facing Cameroon, a team reputed for beating opponents in their own back yard and Côte d’Ivoire’s bête noire over the years.

Read the full article on FIFAworldcup.com.