Fresh from their recent victory in the AFCON on home soil, the Ivory Coast Elephants will play two friendly matches in France in March.
Following their triumph in the final against the Nigeria Super Eagles (2-1), the Ivorian national team will now look to maintain their momentum. Before resuming the qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup in June (against Gabon and Kenya), Emerse Faé’s squad will first play two friendly matches. The first match will see the Elephants take on the Benin national team on March 24. This encounter against the Leopards will take place in the port city of Le Havre, at the Stade Océane (approximately 25,000 seats).
The second match is scheduled against Uruguay on March 28, four days after their first friendly match. The stadium chosen for this event is none other than the Parc des Princes (approximately 48,000 seats) in Paris, the iconic venue of Paris Saint-Germain, the current leader of the French Ligue 1 championship. The announcement was made on Monday evening by Faé during the Talents d’Afrique show on Canal+ Afrique.
The Elephants were supposed to face Messi
While the March schedule is quite enticing, Ivorian supporters and players still have one regret: not facing Lionel Messi’s Argentina. The Argentine Football Federation had planned a tour in China from March 18 to 26, including matches against Nigeria and the Elephants. However, following the controversy stirred by Lionel Messi in China, the Albiceleste’s Asian tour was canceled.
As a reminder, the former Barcelona idol, now playing for Inter Miami in the United States, had decided not to participate in a friendly match in Hong Kong earlier this month, citing an injury. His absence, poorly received by the Chinese public who were looking forward to seeing the Argentine World Cup champion in action, caused a diplomatic incident, resulting in the cancellation of the planned matches.
