Côte d’Ivoire can clinch a first-ever World Cup knockout-stage berth by beating Germany in Toronto on Saturday. The match at 4pm (20:00 GMT) also gives Germany a direct route to the Round of 32 with a win.
Emerse Fae put the responsibility on Ivory Coast supporters on Friday, asking those in the stadium to make maximum noise and telling the rest to take to the streets of Toronto and get to the fan zones. He said, “We count on our supporters like never before.”
That request comes after a thin showing at the opener in Philadelphia, where visa restrictions and ticket prices limited the number of Ivorian fans. Ivory Coast beat Ecuador 1-0 in that match, while Germany opened with a 7-1 win over Curacao.
Emerse Fae and Toronto noise
Fae made the support plan part of the match plan. “Those who are at the stadium must make the maximum noise, like we did against Ecuador, even though we weren't numerous,” he said. “For those who can't come to the stadium, take to the streets of Toronto, get to the fan zones, make as much noise as possible to do as much as you can to help us qualify.”
He tied the crowd push to the target on the pitch. “If we qualify, then we can all party together and celebrate this victory together,” he said. “Obviously if we can take top spot, it will help us and give us confidence,” he added.
Germany and Ivory Coast stakes
The setup is simple. Ivory Coast needs one more win to reach the knockout stage for the first time, while Germany can lock in direct top-two qualification to the Round of 32 by taking the match. Both sides arrived in Toronto after winning their opening Group E games.
Fae said Ivory Coast will not change its approach because the opponent is Germany. “We'll go out to look for the victory, and we won't change our habits just because it's Germany,” he said. “We are going to prepare for the match in the same way as usual, we won't change anything.”
That matters because Ivory Coast has been here before without breaking through. Across its previous three World Cup finals appearances, the team won three of nine matches and fell at the first hurdle each time. Germany, by contrast, has not reached a knockout match since the 2014 World Cup Final and has since suffered group-stage exits in 2018 and 2022.
June 25 and Group E
The result in Toronto will shape the last day of Group E. Ivory Coast finishes against Curacao back in Philadelphia on June 25, while Germany meets Ecuador in East Rutherford, New Jersey, on the same day.
Fae said the target is to leave Toronto with six points and a shot at the group lead. “We're going [into the match] with peace of mind, knowing that if we win, it will be historic for the Ivorian team and for our country,” he said. That is the point now: one win, one place in the knockout rounds, and a chance to turn a strong opening into something Ivory Coast has never done at a World Cup.
