Rabat – French coach Hervé Renard has been appointed head coach of the Ivory Coast national football team, marking his return to the role more than a decade after guiding the Elephants to the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) title.
The 57-year-old succeeds Emerse Faé, the Ivorian Football Federation (FIF) announced on Tuesday. Renard previously managed Ivory Coast between 2014 and 2015, ending the country’s 23-year wait for an AFCON trophy with victory in Equatorial Guinea.
Faé leaves despite an impressive tenure that included leading Ivory Coast to the 2024 AFCON title on home soil and guiding the team to the Round of 16 at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, the country’s best-ever World Cup finish.
Renard returns to the Ivorian bench after a brief spell in charge of Tunisia during the 2026 FIFA World Cup. He was appointed midway through the tournament following Tunisia’s 5-1 defeat to Sweden, replacing Sabri Lamouchi. However, the Carthage Eagles lost both remaining matches under his leadership, falling 4-0 to Japan and 3-1 to the Netherlands.
Now a free agent, Renard heads back to Abidjan, where he remains one of the country’s most respected football figures thanks to the success of the Yaya Touré-led generation in 2015.
Widely regarded as one of Africa’s most accomplished international coaches, Renard also led Zambia to a historic AFCON triumph in 2012. Throughout his career, he has managed several national teams across the continent, including Morocco, Ghana, and Angola.
In recent years, his coaching career has included mixed results. He was dismissed by Saudi Arabia in April despite securing qualification for the 2026 World Cup, and previously coached the France women’s national team, leading them to the quarterfinals of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
The Ivorian Football Federation said Renard is expected to arrive in Abidjan in the coming days to officially begin his second tenure as head coach.
