Ivory Coast eyes knockout stage of World Cup with striker Elye Wahi expected back amid investigation

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CHESTER, Pa. (AP) — Ivory Coast found a successful home in the Philadelphia area.

The West African team trained and stayed in the region. It even played a friendly that drew about 10,000 fans. And then Ivory Coast beat Ecuador in its first World Cup game.

As it prepares for its third and final group-stage game and second at Lincoln Financial Field, Ivory Coast is on the brink of history. Beat Curaçao on Thursday, and Les Éléphants are through to the knockout round for the first time in four World Cup appearances.

“It would be a huge (sense of) pride if we could clear the first round,” coach Emerse Faé said Wednesday. “But I think we have more ambition than that. We would be very happy if it happened to us tomorrow.”

Amad Diallo scored in the 90th minute to lift Ivory Coast to a 1-0 victory over Ecuador last week. Ivory Coast then lost to Germany 2-1 on Saturday in Toronto.

Les Éléphants can advance with a win over Curaçao as the second-place finisher in the group or with a draw as one of the third-place finishers to get through.

“The players realize they are close to making history by making the next round of the World Cup,” Faé said.

Les Éléphants were expected have striker Elye Wahi back in the lineup.

Wahi, who is under investigation for alleged betting-related offenses while playing for Nice, did not play against Germany. He started in the win over Ecuador.

Ligue 1 in France said last week that an “unusual amount of bets” were placed internationally on Wahi receiving a yellow card during a Nice's game against Metz on May 17. The league was alerted by partners monitoring betting markets about suspicious betting activity related to the game, which ended in a 0-0 draw and in which Wahi was shown a yellow.

The league said it shared that information with police and gambling authorities, as well as the French soccer federation.

Asked whether Wahi was questioned by police, the Marseille prosecutor’s office told The Associated Press “a 23-year-old professional football player, competing in France’s Ligue 1 championship, was arrested on May 29, 2026, as part of their investigation.”

“I’m on the field, I don’t take care of that,” Wahi said. “The federation and my collaborators did all they could so that I could be in Canada, it was possible and I’m very happy.”

Wahi answered questions in French before practice Wednesday at the suburban stadium of Major League Soccer's Philadelphia Union. He said he had no comment on the controversy and was focused on the game.

“I’m concentrated on competing,” he said. “Those are things outside of sport. The most important thing is Ivory Coast and its football federation, and that’s it.”

Senegal and Ivory Coast were added in December by President Donald Trump's administration to the list of countries with partial restrictions on entry to the United States, upending World Cup travel plans.

Les Éléphants still had a loud and proud turnout in Philadelphia could have the home-field edge on Thursday night.

“It's cool to have the fans with us,” forward Evan Guessand said. “Unfortunately, some of them are not able to travel. But we can feel the support even from away. Even if they are not here. Even if they are in a small group. We can hear them. It's not a lot but it's good to have some of them here.”

In a city where the statue of the fictional underdog fighter Rocky Balboa has become a popular rallying point for fans, perhaps no team quite fits the mold like Curaçao.

Eloy Room came through for his tiny Caribbean nation with a historic performance on Saturday night, making 15 saves against a relentless Ecuador attack and helping The Blue Wave earn their first-ever point with a 0-0 draw.

The 37-year-old Room, whose shutout of Jamaica last November sent Curaçao to its first World Cup, bounced back from a 7-1 loss to Germany. His save total was one shy of the tournament record — since saves became an official stat in 1966 — of 16 set by Tim Howard of the U.S. against Belgium on July 1, 2014.

Curaçao is an autonomous territory of about 156,000 people in the Caribbean within the Netherlands kingdom. The team relies almost entirely on players born and raised in the Netherlands.

Curaçao needs at least a win and a better goal differential than Ecuador as the two biggest factors to advance.

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AP World Cup: https://apnews.com/fifa-world-cup