World Cup 2026: Ivory Coast coach Emerse Faé remains confident despite late heartbreak against Germany

Ivory Coast head coach Emerse Faé has refused to lose hope despite the Elephants suffering a painful 2-1 defeat to Germany during the second round of matches in Group E at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

The West Africans came within touching distance of securing one of the tournament’s biggest upsets on Saturday 20 June after producing a spirited display against the four-time world champions. Ivory Coast even took the lead and looked on course for a memorable result before Germany mounted a late comeback to snatch victory in the dying moments.

Despite being disappointed by the outcome, Faé praised his players for their courage, discipline and quality against one of the strongest teams in world football. The Ivorian tactician believes the performance showed that his side can still compete at the highest level and insists qualification for the next round remains achievable.

“It was a top-class match. We opened the scoring and had our moments. Unfortunately, we didn’t manage to score a second goal,” Faé said after the game.

“This great footballing nation came back to win the match in the dying moments. We lost with honour and put in a fine performance. Against a team like Germany, you’re never safe. That’s football.”

Despite the defeat, the Ivory Coast manager remains optimistic ahead of the decisive final group-stage fixture against Curaçao on 25 June. According to Faé, the Elephants must quickly recover mentally and focus on securing the result needed to progress to the knockout stages.

“We’re now looking ahead to the third match and we’ll do everything we can to secure qualification,” he added.

Ivory Coast had already shown resilience in their opening group match, and their performance against Germany further underlined the team’s growth under Faé. The Elephants displayed pace, intensity and attacking intent throughout the encounter, troubling the German defence on several occasions.

However, their inability to convert additional chances ultimately proved costly as Germany used their experience and quality to turn the game around late on.

The defeat leaves Ivory Coast under pressure heading into their final group encounter, but qualification hopes are still alive. Victory against Curaçao could be enough to book a place in the next round depending on other results in the group.

For Faé and his players, the focus is now firmly on delivering one final strong performance to keep their World Cup dream alive.