Ivory Coast secured their place in the FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 32 with a comfortable 2-0 victory over Curaçao in their final Group E match on Thursday.
Nicolas Pépé starred for the Elephants, opening the scoring in the seventh minute before adding his second goal of the evening in the 64th to seal a crucial victory.
The winger's brace ensured Ivory Coast claimed all three points and booked their place in the knockout stage.
The result saw Ivory Coast finish second in Group E with six points, level with group winners Germany but behind on the head-to-head tiebreaker.
Despite Germany's surprise 2-1 defeat to Ecuador in the other group match, the Germans held on to top spot, while Ecuador finished third with four points and remained in contention for qualification as one of the tournament's best third-placed teams.
Curaçao ended the group stage at the bottom of the standings with just one point.
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