Ivory Coast made sure to book their spot at the upcoming FIFA World Cup for the first time since 2014 following a professional 3-0 victory over Kenya to top Group F at the Alassane Ouattara Ebimpé Olympic Stadium on Tuesday night.
Ivory Coast made their intentions known from the start and took the lead in the seventh minute through captain Franck Kessie.
With Amad Diallo biding his time with the ball at his feet on the right flank, the Manchester United ace picked out Kessie with precision before the attacker found the back of the net.
The Ivorians remained in control of the tie leading up to the midway point of the first-half and created numerous scoring chances in the process.
Benni McCarthy’s charges battled under the cosh, particularly in the wide areas of the pitch.
Nicolas Pepe was presented with one of the chances of the first half in the 26th minute after he rounded the opposition goalkeeper before hitting the side net, much to the disbelief of the crowd at the Alassane Ouattara Ebimpé Olympic Stadium.
While the hosts continued to pile on the pressure, the score remained at 1-0 at the break with Kessie making the difference for his side.
Ivory Coast immediately went on the attack in the second half and eventually doubled their lead through a clinical effort by Yan Diomande in the 54th minute.
After gathering the ball en-route to goal, the Ivorian attacker put the Kenyan defence on the backfoot with a mazy run before letting off a venomous right-footed shot to the goalkeeper’s bottom left corner.
The Harambee Stars did little to trouble Ivory Coast for much of the second half given the home team’s relentless attacking pressure leading up to the 80th minute mark.
Then, in a moment that added to Kenya’s woes, Diallo scored Ivory Coast’s third goal via a direct free-kick in the 84th minute as they began to stare World Cup qualification in the eye.
Kenya were no match for the attacking prowess of Ivory Coast as the Elephants commenced their World Cup qualification celebrations on their own patch.
The Elephants confirm their spot in the 2026 #FIFAWorldCup 🇨🇮🌟#WCQ | #SSFootball pic.twitter.com/1gmYd4wnc8
— SuperSport Football ⚽️ (@SSFootball) October 14, 2025
Ivory Coast: (1) 3 (Kessie 7’, Diomande 54’, Diallo 84’ Kenya: 0
Ivory Coast: Y. Fofana, E. Agbadou, A. Diallo (O. Diakite 87’), Y. Diomande (S. Adingra 75’), G. Doue (A. Zohouri 87’), E. Guessand (S. Haller 75’), F. Kessie, G. Konan, E. Ndicka, N. Pepe (P. Zouzoua 60’), I. Sangare
Kenya: B. Omondi, R. Ogam, M. Okwaro, M. Olunga (D. Abuya 67’), A. Omija (J. Ochieng 46’), A. Onyango (A. Wilson 46’) , T. Ouma (M. Omondi 81’), S. Owino, D. Sakari, C. Sichenje, W. Wilson (A. Odhiambo 80’)
