Before a single whistle blows at the 2026 World Cup, Côte d'Ivoire have already made their mark. The Les Éléphants squad touched down in Philadelphia wearing custom travel suits by Ivorian designer Ibrahim Fernandez, and the internet has not stopped talking since.
The look is built around a tie-dye blazer in deep orange and warm yellow, crafted from a textured woven fabric with sculptural turned-back cuffs and metallic statement buttons down the front. The collarless silhouette reads as distinctly West African in its sensibility, paired with a white wrap-style V-neck shirt and matching high-waisted white tailored trousers. The full squad wore the look together for an official team photograph on the grass, and the image is everything.
The back of each blazer carries the detail that says it all: a prominent elephant motif, a direct tribute to the team's Les Éléphants identity. It is the kind of design choice that turns a travel outfit into a cultural statement.
Fernandez described the collection in French as a union between the players and the millions of fans behind them. "Des millions qui portent, qui soutiennent, qui célèbrent. Nous et notre peuple ne faisons qu'un," he wrote, which translates to: millions who carry, who support, who celebrate. We and our people are one.
Côte d'Ivoire are at their fourth World Cup and are one of ten African nations competing in 2026. They have never advanced beyond the group stage, but with a new generation of talent including Amad Diallo and Yan Diomandé, Group E against Germany, Ecuador, and Curaçao is where that story could finally change.
Originally published by Bella Naija.