Ivory Coast legend Yaya Touré has commented on the Elephants’ early exit from the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, highlighting both the strengths of other teams and the lessons for his national side.
Speaking to B/R Football, the four-time African Footballer of the Year singled out Nigeria, Morocco, and Algeria as standout performers in the tournament.
“I followed the Africa Cup of Nations. I was there too. I was impressed by Algeria, but unfortunately, they were eliminated by Nigeria. I’m impressed by Regragui’s team, the Moroccan coach, who is very pragmatic, very direct, fair, and plays on the counter-attack. I was impressed by Nigeria. Nigeria plays good football. When you look at the statistics, they scored more goals than usual, they seem to be playing attacking football to the fullest, they play very good football. In my opinion, Nigeria impressed me the most.”
Touré also praised the Democratic Republic of Congo for their performance, noting their potential despite being knocked out by Algeria.
“DR Congo was also good. I really liked the DRC. They played well, but they were eliminated by Algeria,” Touré said.
Yaya Touré names the teams that impressed him the most during AFCON 👌
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— B/R Football (@brfootball) January 19, 2026
Turning to the Elephants, Touré described the team as talented but sometimes inexperienced.
“I think Ivory Coast was a young team, sometimes a little naive, but that’s part of the football experience,” he added.
The current squad has an average age of 26 and had topped their group ahead of Cameroon before a hard-fought 3-2 quarter-final defeat to Egypt on January 10.
Reflecting on the tournament as a whole, Touré emphasized the importance of experience and tactical discipline for the next generation of Ivorian players.
His analysis underscores both the promise and the work ahead for the Elephants as they prepare for future continental and global competition.
