Emerse Fae leaves Ivory Coast after 2026 World Cup

Emerse Fae has stepped down as Ivory Coast head coach following the team’s run at the 2026 World Cup, bringing an end to a spell in which he oversaw one of the most memorable periods in the national side’s recent history.

Ivory Coast impressed at the tournament before being eliminated by Norway in the round of 32. In the group stage, they beat Ecuador and Curacao, while their defeat to Germany came after conceding in the 94th minute. Against Norway, they again pushed a strong opponent close but lost after allowing the decisive goal in the 86th minute.

According to the source material, Fae did not extend a contract that ran until the end of July. The initial report came from L'Equipe on Friday, July 31, and was later confirmed on Saturday by journalist Fabrizio Romano, although there had not yet been official confirmation at that point.

Fae leaves after a transformative spell

Fae’s departure is significant because of the impact he made in a relatively short period. He was central not only to Ivory Coast’s first World Cup qualification in 12 years, but also to their triumph at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations.

That AFCON success was especially striking given the circumstances. As hosts, Ivory Coast lost their second and third group matches, including a heavy defeat to Equatorial Guinea, and still squeezed into the last 16 as the final team to advance from the third-placed rankings.

Jean-Louis Gasset had led the side during the group phase of that tournament, but Fae took over before the knockout rounds and guided the team through the rest of the competition. Ivory Coast then eliminated defending champions Senegal on penalties after a draw, beat Mali after extra time, and went on to overcome DR Congo and Nigeria to lift the trophy.

The numbers behind his tenure

The 42-year-old leaves with a strong record. He took charge of Ivory Coast in 36 matches, winning 24, drawing five and losing seven, with an overall goal record of 65 scored and 26 conceded.

Before becoming senior head coach, Fae had already been closely involved with the national setup. He worked as an assistant from May 2022 to January 2024 and also managed the Under-23 side across four matches between May 2022 and February 2024.

His earlier coaching work came in France, where he served with Clermont’s reserve team and in Nice’s youth system. France was also where he spent almost all of his playing career, turning out for Nantes, Reading and Nice. At international level, he represented France in youth football up to Under-21 level before switching to Ivory Coast as a senior, earning 42 caps and contributing one goal and one assist.

A wider post-World Cup trend

Fae is now the 20th coach to leave a nation that took part in the 2026 World Cup since the start of the tournament. With 48 teams involved, the figure underlines how quickly international jobs can change hands after a major finals campaign.

The source also notes other high-profile departures, including Didier Deschamps with France, Rudi Garcia with Belgium, Ronald Koeman with the Netherlands, Julian Nagelsmann with Germany and Javier Aguirre with Mexico. Tunisia’s situation was described as particularly unusual, with Sabri Lamouchi leaving during the tournament and his successor Herve Renard then departing soon after.

For Ivory Coast, the next appointment will carry weight. Fae leaves behind a team that showed resilience on the biggest stage and a legacy built on both results and a remarkable AFCON turnaround.