Erling Haaland will be the centre of attention in Dallas tonight but the Ivory Coast will be hoping to highlight some attacking talent of their own when they take on Norway in their World Cup Round of 32 clash.

Pepe's somewhat unlikely brace in this Group E finale helped the Ivorians (2-1-0, 6 points) finish second while eliminating debutants Curacao from contention. Les Elephants finished third in their group in their three previous World Cup appearances from 2006-14.

Traditionally, African nations have been among the most underrated sides in the FIFA World Cup. Although no African nation has ever won the tournament or reached the final in any of its previous 22 editions, their steady rise on the global football stage has gradually changed perceptions about their prospects in the sport’s biggest event.

Mohamed Salah scored as Egypt won 3-2 to dump defending champions Ivory Coast out of the Africa Cup of Nations in a thrilling quarter-final on Saturday.

An avalanche of goals for the Ivory Coast and Senegal on Friday put both on the brink of World Cup qualification, which they can secure with home success in their last group matches next week to advance to next year’s finals in North America.

It was three runs fewer than the previous record of 10, set by the Isle of Man when they lost to Spain in 2023 and equalled by Mongolia against Singapore in September.

A ground down clitoris can sell for up to around $170 (152 euros), the equivalent of what many in Ivory Coast earn in a month.

"When I think about all we have been through, we are miracle survivors. We never gave up and we managed to come back from so many tough blows."

Ivory Coast can complete a remarkable recovery and put a successful seal on an absorbing Africa Cup of Nations tournament if they can beat Nigeria on Sunday and claim the title on home soil.

No single player symbolises Ivory Coast's remarkable turnaround to reach this weekend's Africa Cup of Nations final quite like striker Sebastien Haller.

Ivory Coast coach Emerse Fae described his team's achievement in winning through to the final of the Africa Cup of Nations as being "like a dream" after the tournament hosts beat the Democratic Republic of Congo 1-0 in Wednesday's last-four encounter.

South Africa goalkeeper Ronwen Williams saved four penalties in the post-match shootout against the Cape Verde Islands to carry his country into the last four of the Africa Cup of Nations after a 0-0 draw in their quarter-final on Saturday.

Cape Verde won an AFCON knockout tie for the first time in their history as a late Ryan Mendes penalty gave them a 1-0 victory over Mauritania in Abidjan.

From 15 to 21 November, the 53 nations involved in the African qualifying campaign kicked off their quest to secure one of the nine automatic spots up for grabs at football’s most illustrious event.

Ivory Coast crushed Seychelles 9-0 in Abidjan on Friday to create a record winning margin for a World Cup qualifier in Africa.

Children at primary schools in Abidjan traded classrooms for football fields last week to take part in a FIFA initiative to make the sport more accessible and contribute to education.

The equatorial sun is up for about an hour as a gaggle of children set off from the Ivorian village of Allepilla on their hour-long trek to school.

Four Moldovan citizens were killed and two others were injured when a cargo plane chartered by the French military crashed into the sea near the airport in Ivory Coast’s main city, Abidjan, Ivorian and French officials say.

Former Ivory Coast midfielder Cheick Tiote collapsed and died in training with his Chinese club on Monday, his agent confirm.

Ivory Coast forward Salomon Kalou announced his retirement from international football after the reigning champions were eliminated from the Africa Cup of Nations on Tuesday.