Pepe brace sends Ivory Coast into World Cup knockout stage for first time

Nicolas Pépé scored twice to send Ivory Coast past Curaçao 2-0 and into the World Cup knockout stage for the first time, a result that gives the 2024 Africa Cup of Nations champions a place in the tournament’s last 32 after three previous group-stage exits.

The opening goal came after sharp work from teenager Yan Diomande, whose contribution helped break open a tight Group E match in Philadelphia Stadium. Pépé added a second-half goal to seal the result and keep Ivory Coast on course for a second-place finish in the group, while Curaçao’s first World Cup campaign ended with elimination on one point.

The victory carried more weight than a routine group-stage win. Ivory Coast have now appeared at four men’s World Cups, but until June 25, 2026, they had never moved beyond the first round. That long wait had become part of the national team’s profile, a gap between the talent the country regularly produces and the results it had managed on the world stage. By reaching the knockout phase, Ivory Coast converted that reputation into a concrete tournament milestone.

Ivory Coast finished second in Group E with six points, behind Germany, who had already secured first place before the final round of matches. The bracket now leaves Ivory Coast waiting to see whether its next opponent in the round of 32 will be France or Norway, depending on the final layout of the knockout tree. That uncertainty does not diminish what the team has already done: it has cleared the one barrier that had defined every previous World Cup appearance.

There is also a venue-specific note to the run. Ivory Coast remained unbeaten in World Cup matches played in Philadelphia, a small but telling detail in a campaign that has moved from survival to legitimacy. For Curaçao, a tournament debutant that upset the odds in Concacaf qualifying to reach the global finals for the first time, the defeat closed the book on an opening appearance that ended with one point and no route onward. For Ivory Coast, the result opened a new chapter.