Evann Guessand Praises Ivory Coast’s Offensive Potential

Scoring during the March preparation matches, Ivorian forward Evann Guessand is optimistic about the offensive potential of the Elephants in preparation for the 2026 World Cup.

Although they had to relinquish their title as African champions to Morocco during the 2025 AFCON, Ivory Coast bounced back during the friendly matches in March, held in England. Getting ready for the World Cup after twelve years, the Elephants gained confidence by defeating South Korea (4-0) and Scotland (1-0).

With five goals scored and none conceded by five different scorers – including new addition Martial Godo (Strasbourg), Simon Adingra (Monaco), Wilfried Singo (Galatasaray), Nicolas Pepe (Villarreal), and Evann Guessand (Crystal Palace).

Guessand: “Everyone is capable of scoring”

The Crystal Palace striker, who scored against the Taeguk Warriors, shared his thoughts on this offensive prowess. “Everyone works hard to protect the goals,” said the former Nice player in comments reported by FIFA.com. “With the coach and staff, we have a defensive rigor that makes us strong and doesn’t give the opponents many chances.”

“From the defender to the forward, everyone is capable of scoring. It’s a good thing when the opponent doesn’t know where the danger is coming from, that’s when we become unpredictable,” added Evann Guessand, who has scored 4 goals in 21 appearances so far.

Drawn into Group E of the 2026 World Cup alongside Germany, Ecuador, and Curacao, Ivory Coast will rely on these qualities to advance from the group stage and reach the second round of the competition for the first time in their history. As a reminder, the team coached by Emerse Fae will play a preparation match against France on June 4 in Nantes.