Ivory Coast head coach Emerse Faé will take the team to the FIFA 2026 World Cup, and that is final.

This is the message from the country’s Football Association president, Idriss Diallo, who says the Elephants’ failure at the recent Africa Cup of Nations is no grounds to dismiss Faé.

“We have to be serious. This coach won AFCON (on home soil) under conditions we all know, qualified us for a first World Cup since 2014, qualified for another AFCON and reached the quarterfinals,” argues Diallo.

“I won’t give in to the pressure. Faé stays.”

Faé isn’t a popular figure in the West African state at the moment after Ivory Coast was eliminated in the AFCON last eight.

However, with strong support from the FA, he is set to stay and guide the team in the global showpiece.

Ivory Coast is placed in Group E for the World Cup, where they will compete against Germany, Ecuador, and Curacao.

The tournament will kick off on 11 June, with co-hosts Mexico facing South Africa.