Gabon will bring their Africa Cup of Nations Morocco 2025 campaign to a close when they face defending champions Côte d’Ivoire in their final Group F fixture at the Grand Stade de Marrakech by 8 pm.
The equation is clear. Gabon are already out of the tournament, while Côte d’Ivoire need at least a draw to guarantee their place in the knockout stages and continue the defence of their continental crown.
Despite their long history, this will be the first time the two sides meet at the Africa Cup of Nations finals. Across all competitions, they have faced each other 18 times, with Côte d’Ivoire holding a clear advantage, 10 wins to Gabon’s four, alongside four draws.
Their previous AFCON qualifying encounters, for the 1972 and 2008 tournaments, were one-sided affairs. Gabon failed to record a single victory across those four matches, with Côte d’Ivoire claiming four wins and a draw, including a dominant 5–0 triumph in Abidjan in October 2006. Arouna Koné scored a hat-trick on that occasion, with Kolo Touré and Aruna Dindane also on the scoresheet.
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More recently, the teams crossed paths in 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying. Côte d’Ivoire edged the first meeting 1–0 in Korhogo in June 2024, thanks to a 36th-minute strike from Seko Fofana, before the return fixture in Franceville ended goalless. The Ivorians went on to secure World Cup qualification, while Gabon fell short in the subsequent continental play-offs.
The finer details of the rivalry also point to contrasting patterns. All four of Gabon’s victories over Côte d’Ivoire have been by a single-goal margin, while each of the four draws between the sides has finished 0–0.
With nothing but pride at stake for Gabon and progression on the line for Côte d’Ivoire, the champions will be wary of complacency as they look to finish the group stage safely and keep their title defence on track.
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