Emerse Faé, the coach who transformed Cote d'Ivoire from near-elimination to African champions, will take his place among the key voices at the CAF Strategy Conference in Cabo Verde this October. The three-day event in Sal, running from 7 to 9 October, will bring together football leaders from across the continent to map out how African national teams can build towards the FIFA World Cup 2030.

Faé is one of ten coaches who guided African sides at the FIFA World Cup 2026 and are expected to share their experiences in Cabo Verde. His story, however, carries a weight that extends well beyond the results column.

From player to professional coach

Born in Nantes, France, Faé represented Cote d'Ivoire as a player after spells at Nantes, Reading, and OGC Nice. CAF records show he earned 44 caps for the Elephants between 2005 and 2012 before recurring health problems ended his playing career earlier than expected.

He moved into coaching through Nice's youth academy, progressing through various age groups before taking charge of their Under-19 side. A stint with Clermont Foot's reserve team followed, before he joined the Cote d'Ivoire national-team setup in 2022 as assistant to Jean-Louis Gasset. That route — cutting teeth in youth football before stepping into elite international management — sits at the heart of CAF's agenda on coach education and technical development.

The AFCON comeback that changed everything

Faé's breakthrough moment came at the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations Cote d'Ivoire 2023. Appointed interim coach mid-tournament after the hosts were thrashed 4-0 by Equatorial Guinea and squeezed into the knockout stage only as one of the best third-placed teams, he inherited a squad on the brink of humiliation on home soil.

What followed was extraordinary. Cote d'Ivoire knocked out defending champions Senegal on penalties, edged past Mali after extra time, overcame DR Congo in the semi-finals, and came from behind to beat Nigeria 2-1 in the final. Faé had steered a floundering side to the title in front of their own supporters.

He was subsequently confirmed as permanent coach and crowned CAF Men's Coach of the Year for 2024 — recognition befitting the magnitude of the turnaround.

Breaking new ground at the FIFA World Cup 2026

Faé then guided the Elephants to the FIFA World Cup 2026, Cote d'Ivoire's first appearance at the tournament since 2014. They opened with a 1-0 victory over Ecuador, fell 2-1 to Germany, and closed the group stage with a 2-0 win over Curaçao — enough to finish second in their group.

That result against Curaçao sent Cote d'Ivoire into the World Cup knockout stage for the first time in their history, a milestone that had eluded the Elephants in 2006, 2010, and 2014. Their run ended with a 2-1 defeat by Norway in the Round of 32, yet the ground broken was undeniable.

A coaching blueprint for the continent

Faé's presence in Cabo Verde carries genuine significance for the CAF Strategy Conference. The event is designed to draw lessons from Africa's performances at the FIFA World Cup 2026 and channel them into the structural development needed ahead of 2030. Coach education, technical growth, and the strengthening of football infrastructure are central to that agenda.

His career arc offers a concrete illustration of what those investments can yield — an African international given the time and space to learn his craft in youth football, before being trusted with the continent's biggest stage in the most demanding of circumstances. From the edge of AFCON elimination to African champion to World Cup history-maker, Faé arrives at the Strategy Conference with experience the event was designed to hear.