Cote d’Ivoire aim to maintain CAN 2027 momentum against Somalia

Cote d’Ivoire will look to make it two wins from two in the Africa Cup of Nations 2027 qualifiers when they face Somalia in Abidjan on Tuesday.

The match will be played at the Felix Houphouet-Boigny Stadium, also known as “Felicia”, with kick-off at 21:00 French time and 19:00 in Cote d’Ivoire. It will be shown in France on beIN Sports 2 and in Cote d’Ivoire on La 3.

The match is only the second for the Elephants since Herve Renard returned as head coach. Cote d’Ivoire, ranked 31st in the FIFA rankings, are clear favourites against a Somalia side currently 200th.

Their aim is not only to strengthen their position at the top of Group C but also to build confidence before meeting Cameroon in a friendly in Abidjan on 3 October. Cameroon are described in Cote d’Ivoire as the “in-laws”, reflecting the longstanding rivalry between the two nations.

Cote d’Ivoire began their qualifying campaign with a convincing 2-0 victory over Ghana in Bouake on 24 September. New arrival Malick Yalcouye opened the scoring shortly before half-time, finding the net in the 44th minute, before captain Franck Kessie doubled the advantage from the penalty spot in the 58th minute.

Somalia, by contrast, suffered a 2-1 defeat by The Gambia in their opening fixture. The result leaves them seeking their first points of the campaign, while the three-time African champions from Cote d’Ivoire want to keep control of the group.

Renard could make several changes to his starting line-up. Bazoumana Toure may replace Nicolas Pepe on the right wing, while Elye Wahi is a possible starter in attack instead of Ange-Yoan Bonny.

The fixture will also mark the first meeting between Cote d’Ivoire and Somalia in the modern era.

For Renard, the game provides another opportunity to assess his squad following his return to the bench, while Cote d’Ivoire will be focused on maintaining their winning start before their meeting with Cameroon four days later.