French coach Herve Renard was reappointed as Ivory Coast's head football coach on August 4, 2026, replacing Emerse Fae, the Ivorian football federation announced in a statement [1, 2, 3, 4]. Renard, 57, returns for a second spell after previously leading the team to the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) title in 2015 [1, 2, 3, 4].
Emerse Fae’s contract was not renewed despite guiding Ivory Coast to the knockout stage of the 2026 World Cup for the first time in four appearances. The Elephants were eliminated in the round of 32 by Norway [1, 2, 3, 4].
Renard’s coaching resume includes spells with Angola, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Zambia, Tunisia, and France’s women’s team at the Paris Olympics [1, 2, 3, 4]. He won the AFCON title with Zambia in 2012 and stepped in as an emergency coach for Tunisia during the recent World Cup after Sabri Lamouchi’s dismissal. However, Tunisia lost all their remaining group matches under Renard and did not advance [3, 4].
His time with Saudi Arabia ended just before the 2026 World Cup, although he helped the team qualify for the tournament [4].
Ivory Coast will begin their 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying matches in September 2026, hosting Ghana and then Somalia [3, 4]. Renard said he aims to win a third AFCON title with the Elephants at the 2027 tournament cohosted by Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda [3, 4].
