Ronar returns to coach the Ivory Coast national team

Paris (France) - AFP - The Ivorian Football Federation appointed Frenchman Hervé Renard as the new coach of the Ivory Coast national team on Tuesday, succeeding Emerse Fae, via its official accounts.

Earlier on Tuesday, the newspaper Le Parisien had revealed that Renard was close to returning to the Ivorian national team.

The French coach takes over from Fae, whose contract with the Ivorian Federation was not renewed despite leading the team to victory in the 2024 Africa Cup of Nations and reaching the round of 16 in the 2026 World Cup, the country’s best-ever performance in the tournament.

Renard had previously served as interim coach of the Tunisian national team during the 2026 World Cup finals, taking charge after a heavy 5-1 defeat to Sweden in the opening match of the Eagles of Carthage, a result that led to the dismissal of coach Sabri Lamouchi.

After his temporary stint with Tunisia, Renard remained without a club or national team before returning to the Ivory Coast bench after 11 years, where he remains highly popular for having led the generation featuring Yaya Touré to the Africa Cup of Nations title in 2015, ending a wait of nearly 25 years.

Renard boasts an impressive record in Africa, having won the Africa Cup of Nations with Zambia in 2012. He has also managed several national teams, including Ghana, Angola, and Morocco.

However, his recent experiences have yielded mixed results. He was dismissed from the Saudi Arabia national team in April, despite leading them to qualification for the 2026 World Cup. He also guided the French women’s national team to the quarter-finals at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.