The final ticket to the quarter-finals of the Africa Cup of Nations Morocco 2025 will be decided on tonight by 8 pm, when West African neighbours Côte d’Ivoire and Burkina Faso meet at the Grand Stade Marrakech.
Separated by a 545-kilometre border, the two nations share deep geographical and regional ties, adding extra edge to a Round of 16 encounter
This will be the third meeting between the sides at the Africa Cup of Nations, but their first in the knockout stages. Their previous encounters came in back-to-back group stages at the 2010 and 2012 tournaments.
At the 2010 finals in Angola, the teams opened Group B with a goalless draw in Lubango. Côte d’Ivoire progressed from the group alongside Ghana, with current Elephants coach Emerse Faé an unused substitute in that match.
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They met again two years later at the 2012 edition, where Côte d’Ivoire secured a 2–0 win. Salomon Kalou scored early before a late Bakary Koné own goal sealed victory, as the Ivorians advanced from the group alongside Sudan. Côte d’Ivoire have kept a clean sheet in both AFCON meetings against Burkina Faso.
Overall, the neighbours have faced each other 20 times in all competitions. Côte d’Ivoire hold the advantage with eight wins, compared to three for Burkina Faso, while nine matches have ended in draws.
Their rivalry has stretched across AFCON, World Cup, and CHAN qualifiers over the years, with fortunes swinging both ways. Now, with a quarter-final place on the line, familiar foes meet again, this time with no second chances.
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