Ivory Coast head coach Emerse Fae has lifted the lid on the culture driving the Elephants’ historic FIFA World Cup campaign, insisting that togetherness and healthy competition within his young squad have been the foundation of their unprecedented run.
The African champions secured a place in the World Cup knockout stage for the first time in the nation’s history after defeating Curacao 2-0 in Philadelphia, with Nicolas Pepe scoring both goals to seal second place in Group E.
While the result itself marked a milestone, Fae believes the real story lies behind the scenes.
“We are very happy with the result because it qualifies us,” Fae told reporters after the match.
“Even if everything was not perfect, we won 2-0 without conceding. That is also good for morale and confidence for the rest of the competition.”
The 41-year-old admitted qualification was only one part of the achievement, explaining that victory also gives his players the ideal platform to recover physically and mentally before the Round of 32.
“The group must take advantage of this victory and this qualification to recover. We know we recover more easily after a victory. In addition to having the victory, we have the qualification, so we are really proud and happy.”
Emerse Fae explains the team culture and unity behind Ivory Coast’s first-ever qualification for the FIFA World Cup knockout stage after beating Curacao 2-0.
Rather than pointing to tactical systems or individual brilliance, Fae highlighted the collective spirit developing inside the dressing room.
According to the former Ivory Coast international, almost every player in the squad is experiencing the World Cup for the first time, yet the shared experience has strengthened rather than divided the group.
“The key to success is a group that grows,” he said.
“It is a young group. It is the first World Cup for all the players. It is a group that is growing very, very well and they work very, very well.”
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Fae revealed that competition for starting places has created motivation instead of conflict, something he considers one of the team’s greatest strengths.
“We have a lot of solidarity in this team. We have talented players, but they are supportive of each other.”
“We even see players competing for the same positions laughing together and sharing good moments. We are really lucky to have healthy competition that pushes every player to perform at their maximum.”
Ivory Coast arrived at the 2026 tournament carrying the burden of three previous World Cup group-stage exits.
Their dramatic 1-0 victory over Ecuador on the opening matchday, followed by a narrow 2-1 defeat to Germany after conceding a stoppage-time winner, left qualification in their own hands heading into the final group fixture.
Pepe’s first-half opener settled early nerves before the experienced forward completed his brace midway through the second half to secure the victory over Curacao.
The result delivered another landmark under Fae, who has already guided the Elephants to continental glory and now becomes the first coach to take Ivory Coast beyond the World Cup group stage.
Emerse Fae explains the team culture and unity behind Ivory Coast’s first-ever qualification for the FIFA World Cup knockout stage after beating Curacao 2-0.
Despite the celebrations, Fae made it clear his side have no intention of stopping at the Round of 32.
The Ivorian coach insisted preparations for the knockout phase would only begin once they knew whether France or Norway would be waiting in Dallas.
“We want to go step by step,” he said.
“Today we qualified. Tomorrow we’ll wait to see who our opponent will be.”
“Once we know who our opponent is, we’ll prepare the game as we have done until today.”
Fae also revealed the squad’s next objective has already been established.
“The most important thing for us is to prepare well regardless of the opponent and believe in our chances of reaching the quarter-finals, which is our goal now.”
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For a nation celebrating its greatest World Cup achievement, Fae believes the journey is only just beginning.
