Ivory Coast beat Curacao 2-0 at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia on Thursday to reach the FIFA World Cup 2026 knockout rounds for the first time.
Nicolas Pepe scored in the seventh and 64th minutes as the Ivory Coast finished second in Group E behind Germany, according to Sky Sports.
Pepe opened the scoring after Yan Diomande beat his marker and cut the ball back inside the box. The former Arsenal forward turned the chance in to give Ivory Coast an early lead.
Curacao pushed for an equaliser before halftime. Jurien Gaari shot just wide from range, while Leandro Bacuna entered the box late in the half but missed the target.
Sherel Floranus went close after the restart, but Curacao fell further behind in the 64th minute. Ibrahim Sangare released Pepe with a through ball, and the Villarreal forward finished past Eloy Room.
The win moved the 2024 African champions to six points after a 1-0 win over Ecuador and a 2-1 defeat by Germany. Germany lost 2-1 to Ecuador in the other Group E match, but the Ivory Coast stayed second on head-to-head record.
Read: Ecuador Beat Germany 2-1 to Reach World Cup Last 32
Curacao, the smallest nation to play at a World Cup, finished bottom of the group without a win. Dick Advocaat’s side had lost 7-1 to Germany before holding Ecuador to a 0-0 draw.
Ivory Coast will play the Group I runner-up in Dallas next Tuesday, with France or Norway listed as possible opponents in the source content.
