Thanks to a stunning goal by Séko Fofana, Ivory Coast triumphed over Gabon (1-0) in the third round of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers. The Elephants are now the sole leaders of Group F.

The African champions have continued their winning streak since their triumph last February. On Friday, against Gabon (0-1), they secured their third consecutive victory in these World Cup 2026 qualifiers.

Despite having every reason to be cautious, Emerse Fae's men faced a tough challenge against the Panthers, who had also won their first two matches. From the start, the Elephants realized that Aubameyang and his team were not in Korhogo for a leisurely game. The Marseille striker hit the post in the second minute, giving a scare to Yahia Fofana. The Ivorian goalkeeper saved his team again ten minutes later with a beautiful stop from Jim Allevinah's shot.

Despite being outplayed by a more energetic and mobile Gabon side, Ivory Coast managed to open the scoring with a classic Séko Fofana strike. Largely quiet since the beginning of the match, the former Lens player unleashed a powerful shot from the edge of the box that found the top corner (36th minute).

 Kessié Hits the Crossbar

Emerse Faé, who did not call up 10 African champions for these June matches, could finally breathe a sigh of relief. His team was ahead and remained so. The Gabonese had missed their chance in the first half and seemed to struggle as their opponents gained momentum.

The Ivorians missed several opportunities to increase their lead; Haller's shot went wide (51st minute), and then Loyce Mbaba blocked the striker (59th minute). Captain Franck Kessié also missed a chance to double the lead with a header that hit the crossbar (76th minute).

However, the African champions had already achieved the most important objective with this third victory, allowing them to lead Group F with a three-point advantage over Gabon.

For the fourth round, on Tuesday, June 11th, Ivory Coast will travel to Kenya, while Gabon will host Gambia.