The Adrar Stadium in Agadir witnessed a historic heavyweight matchup in the quarter-finals of the Africa Cup of Nations, where the Pharaohs, the Egyptian national team, face the Elephants, the defending champion Ivory Coast national team.
You can follow the live broadcast via the following link
This match is one of the most prominent games of the tournament so far, as both teams together hold 10 titles in the history of the tournament (Egypt 7 record titles, and Ivory Coast 3 titles, the latest being the previous edition in 2023).
History of encounters between the two teams in the Africa Cup of Nations: this is the 12th match between the two teams in the history of the tournament, and it is the most repeated in AFCON history!
Egypt has historically excelled, having not lost to Ivory Coast in the tournament since 1990, winning in the final in 2006 on penalties, in the semi-finals in 2008 with a score of 4-1, and in the Round of 16 in 2021 also on penalties.
The path of both teams to the quarter-finals:
- Egypt (led by coach Hossam Hassan and star Mohamed Salah): qualified after a difficult victory in the Round of 16 against Benin with a score of 3-1 after extra time, where Salah scored the winning goal in the last minutes. The Pharaohs rely on Salah (3 goals in the tournament so far) and a strong defensive organization, despite some injuries like Mohamed Hamdy and Mohannad Lashin.
- Ivory Coast (the defending champion led by coach Emryss Fay): showed great strength in the Round of 16 with a crushing 3-0 victory over Burkina Faso, with goals from Amad Diallo, Jean-Daniel Ndri, and Bazimana Touré. The Elephants have a balanced lineup with stars like Franck Kessie, Ibrahim Sangaré, Amad Diallo, and Evan Ndicka, and they are the first defending champion to reach the quarter-finals since Egypt in 2010.
