Former African champions Ivory Coast secured their place in the 2026 FIFA World Cup Round of 32 with a convincing 2-0 victory over Curacao, while Tunisia bowed out of the tournament after a disappointing group-stage campaign.
Nicolas Pépé was the hero for Ivory Coast, scoring both goals in the seventh and 64th minutes to seal a crucial win and send the Elephants through as runners-up in Group E with six points.
The victory ensured Ivory Coast’s progression to the knockout stage after a strong finish to the group phase, reviving hopes of a deep run in the expanded World Cup tournament.
For Tunisia, however, the competition ended in frustration as the North Africans failed to register a single win in Group F. Their campaign began with a heavy 5-1 defeat to Sweden before suffering another setback in a 4-0 loss to Japan.
Tunisia’s hopes of salvaging pride in their final group match were also dashed as they fell 3-1 to the Netherlands, leaving them rooted to the bottom of the group without a point.
The contrasting fortunes highlighted a successful outing for Ivory Coast and a tournament to forget for Tunisia, whose early exit marked one of the poorest performances by an African side at this year’s World Cup.
With qualification secured, Ivory Coast will now turn their attention to the Round of 32, where they will look to continue their impressive resurgence on football’s biggest stage.