Ivory Coast score nine against Seychelles for record victory

Ivory Coast’s defender #17 Serge Aurier controls the ball during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Africa qualifying match between Ivory Coast and Seychelles at the Olympic Stadium of Ebimpe, northern Abidjan, on November 17, 2023. (Photo by Sia KAMBOU / AFP)

Ivory Coast crushed Seychelles 9-0 in Abidjan on Friday to create a record winning margin for a World Cup qualifier in Africa.

Borussia Dortmund forward Sebastien Haller started the goal rush on 20 minutes and Karim Konate from Salzburg completed it five minutes into added time.

Konate and Hamed Traore scored two goals each and Haller, Ibrahim Sangare, Simon Adingra, Seko Fofana and Jean-Philippe Krasso one apiece in the matchday one Group F mismatch.

Seychelles, a tourist destination off the east coast of Africa, are 195th in the FIFA rankings, 121 places below the Ivory Coast.

The seedings for the first round of 2026 World Cup qualifying in Africa meant the nine top-ranked teams were paired at home against the nine bottom ones, so it was almost inevitable that there could be some one-sided matches.

Egypt put six past Djibouti on Thursday in Group A with Liverpool star Mohamed Salah netting four times.

Before the Abidjan goal deluge, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Libya and Algeria shared the record with eight-goal winning margins.

While the Ivorians scored freely, fellow west Africans Ghana had to wait 96 minutes before Inaki Williams snatched the goal that earned a 1-0 win against Madagascar in Group I.

The Bilbao forward possibly saved the job of under-fire Ghana coach Chris Hughton by heading a Gideon Mensah cross past goalkeeper Melvin Adrien in Kumasi.

Special goal

“This goal is very dear to me because my family was in the stadium,” said Spain-born Williams after scoring