Group FG contenders
Brazil
Korea DPR
Ivory Coast
Portugal

Route to the finals
Ivory Coast produced a resounding qualifying campaign that saw them top their group in the Second Round and drop only two points in the subsequent Third Round group.

During their 12 Qualifiers they scored an impressive 29 goals, the most of any African nation.

A 1-1 draw away to Malawi was the only hitch in an otherwise flawless final round-robin stage on their way to making their second appearance in a World Cup finals. 

Manager
Sven Goran Eriksson is no stranger to World Cup finals. Having led England to the 2002 and ’06 editions the Swede has picked up considerable experience that should help a side that has only played in one previous tournament.

Eriksson was appointed Manager following the sacking of Vahid Halilhodzic early this year, after the Bosnian only managed to take his charges to the quarter-finals of the 2010 African Cup of Nations.

Coming in at such a late stage before a major tournament will not be easy for the former England Manager, but with a solid core of players, many of whom played in the 2006 World Cup, his job should be made a lot easier.

Player watch
It would seem the Ivory Coast are enjoying something of a ‘golden generation’ for players.

For a country with a population of just 21 million, the African nation seems to have produced a disproportionate number of world class footballers and back-to-back World Cup qualification would seem to back this up.

With the Chelsea strike duo of Didier Drogba and Salomon Kalou they have two of the best forwards in the Premier League, while at the heart of defence Manchester City’s Kolo Toure and Arsenal’s Emmanuel Eboue pose a formidable obstacle.

Competition History
First appearance: 2006
No. of appearances (inc 2010): 2
Best result: Group Stage
Matches against England: 0

Squad

Goalkeepers
1	Barry Boubacar Copa	Lokeren, BEL
16	Aristide Zogbo	Maccabi Netanya, ISR
23	Daniel Yeboah	ASEC Mimosas, CIV
Defenders
2	Benjamin Angoua	Valenciennes, FRA
3	Arthur Boka	VfB Stuttgart, GER
4	Kolo Habib Touré	Manchester City, ENG
6	Steve Gohouri	Wigan Athletic, ENG
17	Siaka Tiéné	Valenciennes, FRA
20	Guy Demel	Hamburger SV, GER
21	Emmanuel Eboué	Arsenal, ENG
22	Souleymane Bamba	Hibernian, SCO
Midfielders
5	Didier Zokora	Sevilla FC, ESP
9	Cheick Tioté	FC Twente, NED
12	Jean-Jacques Gosso	AS Monaco, FRA
13	Romaric	Sevilla FC, ESP
14	Emmanuel Koné	International Curtea-de-Arges, ROU
19	Yaya Touré	FC Barcelona, ESP
Forwards
7	Seydou Doumbia	BSC Young Boys, SUI
8	Salomon Kalou	Chelsea, ENG
10	Gervinho	Lille OSC, FRA
11	Didier Drogba	Chelsea, ENG
15	Aruna Dindane	Portsmouth, ENG
18	Abdul Kader Kéita	Galatasaray, TUR