Côte d’Ivoire defeats Curacao and accompanies Germany to the round of 32 in the World Cup

The Côte d’Ivoire national team qualified for the round of 32 in the 2026 FIFA World Cup in America, Mexico and Canada, after defeating the Curacao national team 2-0, in the third round of Group E of the tournament.

The Côte d’Ivoire national team raised its score to six points in second place in the group, with the difference in direct confrontations behind the German national team, which ended the group stage by losing to Ecuador in the match that was held at the same time.

On the other hand, the Curacao national team exited the competition, as its score stopped at one point in fourth and final place in its first participation in its history in the tournament.

The Ivorian team took the lead in the seventh minute through Nicolas Pepe, which was the fastest goal in the team’s history at the World Cup, surpassing the goal of his teammate Franck Kessiet against Germany in the last round of the current edition, which came after 30 minutes.

In the 64th minute, Pepe returned to add the second goal for himself and his team, making him a participant at the top of the list of Côte d’Ivoire’s top scorers in the World Cup throughout history, alongside top scorer Didier Drogba, Aruna Dindan, Alfred Bony and Gervinho.