The past
After finishing third in the CAF qualification tournament for three years running, the Elephants finally clinched a place in the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup finals for the first time.
The present
The Ivorians will start Dubai 2009 as tournament underdogs along with Costa Rica. Atche Aka's men will need to excel themselves and hope for some below-par performances from their opponents if they are to progress beyond the group phase.
The future
Having finally made it to the finals after many years of trying, Côte d'Ivoire can now look to acquire some valuable experience in their bid to become regulars on the global stage.
Facts and figures
Key players
Boris Kevin Enam (goalkeeper), Frederic Aka (forward)
Qualifying statistics
In reaching the final against Nigeria, the Elephants secured two wins in normal time and a penalty shootout triumph over Egypt. They were outmuscled in the final, however, going down 7-4 to the Super Eagles, ending the tournament with 26 goals for and 27 against.
The numbers game
13 - The number of goals scored by Thomas Ludovic Ehounou in the continental qualifying competition, one less than the tournament's top scorer Isiaka Olawale of Nigeria.
