Ivory Coast have boasted some world beaters over the years, but they had actually failed to qualify for the last two World Cups before this summer. They made hard work of it too, needing a win in the final game of the campaign to finish a point ahead of Gabon on top of Group F. It was a campaign where they ended unbeaten, winning eight out of ten games, and they also failed to concede a single goal. They had a disappointing campaign in the African Cup of Nations earlier this year; although they topped their group by goal difference, they were knocked out by Egypt in the quarter finals. Ivory Coast have never escaped the group stages at a World Cup, and will see this as the best possible opportunity in their history to do so.