The 34th Africa Cup of Nations final will be contested between Ivory Coast and Nigeria at the Stade Alassane Ouattara-Ebimpé on the outskirts of Abidjan. This is a significant moment for the hosts, as it marks their 15th opportunity to play in the tournament final, the first since their defeat to Egypt 18 years ago. The journey to this point has been nothing short of remarkable for Ivory Coast, considering the challenges they faced earlier in the campaign.
Just 18 days ago, Ivory Coast hit rock bottom. They suffered a devastating 4-0 defeat at home against Equatorial Guinea, a team ranked 88th in the world. Shortly after, their head coach, Jean Louis Gasset, departed. At that stage, the Ivorians were unsure if they would even progress to the knockout stages, as they needed other results in the tournament to go their way.
