Reigning Africa Cup of Nations champions Ivory Coast will intensify their title defence preparations with a 10-day training camp in Marbella, Spain, ahead of the 2025 AFCON in Morocco, scheduled for December 21, 2025 to January 18, 2026.
The Ivorian Football Federation (FIF) confirmed the plan, with federation president Yacine Diallo announcing that the Elephants will train in Spain from December 10–20. The team will also play two warm-up friendlies, with one potential matchup expected to be against DR Congo, although no opponent has been officially confirmed.
The Elephants will depart Spain for Marrakech on December 20, arriving a day before the tournament begins. Coach Emerse Faé will release his official squad list on December 9, with the team set to regroup immediately afterward.
Ivory Coast go into the competition as defending champions after defeating Nigeria 2–1 in Abidjan to claim their third AFCON title earlier this year.
Their recent international form has been mixed, a 1–0 loss to Saudi Arabia under former coach Hervé Renard, followed by a 2–0 win over Oman.
At AFCON 2025, Ivory Coast will compete in Group F, opening their campaign against Mozambique on December 24, facing five-time champions Cameroon on December 28, and wrapping up the group phase against Gabon on December 31. The Elephants recently faced Gabon in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, playing out a goalless draw away before securing a 1–0 win at home.
