2025 U17 World Cup: Ivory Coast crumble to heavy defeat against Switzerland in opener

Ivory Coast endured a torrid start to their U17 World Cup campaign in Qatar, falling 4-1 to Switzerland in a match that exposed defensive frailties and a lack of cohesion across the pitch.

Making their long-awaited return to the tournament after 12 years, the young Elephants were overwhelmed by a Swiss side that had not featured in a World Cup since 2009 — the year of their first and only appearance.

Despite entering the competition with high hopes, Ivory Coast found themselves trailing by four goals before they could mount any meaningful response.

The game, played at one of the Aspire Zone Stadiums in Doha, started brightly for Switzerland, who struck early through Gil Zufferey in the 12th minute.

Ivory Coast, managed by Basiriki Diabaté, struggled to find rhythm and composure, especially in the absence of their top scorer from the U17 AFCON, Alynho Haidara, who began the match on the bench.

The Europeans doubled their advantage shortly before halftime through Adrien Llukes, putting the Ivorians under significant pressure heading into the break.

Diabaté reacted with a triple substitution at halftime, introducing Haidara, Vaboue Doumbia, and Ismael Touré to inject some urgency into the attack.

However, the changes failed to turn the tide. Switzerland continued to dominate proceedings, adding two more goals in quick succession — Giacomo Koloto in the 52nd minute and Jill Stiel in the 67th — as Ivory Coast’s defensive organization collapsed.

The young Elephants struggled to contain Switzerland’s movement and precision in transition, conceding space and losing critical duels in midfield.

Ivory Coast eventually found a consolation through Hubert Yao in the 81st minute, set up by substitute Gueu Tiekoman, who had come on only minutes earlier.

But the late goal did little to mask what was a disheartening performance for the West Africans, who now face a difficult path to recovery in the group stage.

The defeat marks the worst start by an African team in this year’s tournament, contrasting sharply with the strong performances of other representatives — including Egypt’s 4-1 win over Haiti, Tunisia’s emphatic 6-0 victory over Fiji, and South Africa’s 3-1 triumph against Bolivia.

With the team rooted to the bottom of their group, Ivory Coast must regroup quickly ahead of their next fixture against Mexico on Friday, a must-win encounter if they are to keep alive any realistic hope of progressing to the knockout stage.

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ℂ𝕠̂𝕥𝕖 𝕕’𝕀𝕧𝕠𝕚𝕣𝕖 🇨🇮 1-4🇨🇭𝕊𝕦𝕚𝕤𝕤𝕖 (𝔽𝕋)

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— FIF 🇨🇮🐘 (@FIFCI_tweet) November 4, 2025