Rosemonde Kouassi Drives Côte d’Ivoire’s Brazil 2027 Qualification Bid

Rosemonde Kouassi will lead Côte d’Ivoire’s WAFCON attack as the Elephants chase a Brazil 2027 place.

The campaign marks Côte d’Ivoire’s first appearance at the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations since 2014. The tournament starts in Morocco on July 26, while the Elephants begin Group B against Burkina Faso on July 27. Their return ends a 12-year absence from Africa’s senior women’s championship.

WAFCON also controls Africa’s qualification route to the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2027 in Brazil. The four semi-finalists qualify for the World Cup. The four losing quarter-finalists enter a play-off for two places in the inter-confederation play-offs, so reaching the knockout phase keeps more than one route open.

Côte d’Ivoire face three different tests in Group B. Burkina Faso provide the opening opposition at Larbi Zaouli Stadium in Casablanca. The Elephants then meet 2022 African champions South Africa on July 31 before returning to Larbi Zaouli Stadium to play Tanzania on August 4.

The Tanzania match carries recent history. Côte d’Ivoire won the first leg of their 2024 WAFCON qualifier 2-0 in September 2023. Tanzania erased that deficit in the return, levelled the tie 2-2 on aggregate and advanced 4-2 on penalties. Kouassi’s team now get another meeting at the continental finals.

Head coach Reynald Pedros has prepared the squad over an extended camp. Kouassi said the players had spent almost two months together before the tournament and that the group had stayed stable in recent months. That preparation gave the squad time to learn each other’s movements before the qualification matches began.

Kouassi brings speed and direct attacking play to that group. She joined Washington Spirit from French club Fleury in the summer of 2024 after building experience in France’s top division. Her ability to carry the ball forward and create danger in the final third makes her central to Pedros’ attacking plans.

Her club numbers show the range of that contribution. Washington recorded 50 appearances, ten goals and 12 assists for Kouassi before WAFCON. She had two goals and three assists for the Spirit in 2026, while her scoring at the 2025-26 Concacaf W Champions Cup earned her the competition’s Golden Boot in May.

Kouassi’s international connection began before her move to the United States. She made her senior Côte d’Ivoire debut during the African qualifying tournament for the 2020 Olympic Games. The Elephants reached the semi-finals of that qualification competition before Cameroon ended their run.

She also entered WAFCON with a recent national-team goal behind her. Côte d’Ivoire won all three of their FIFA Series matches in April 2026, and Kouassi scored in the victory over Turks and Caicos Islands. Those matches gave Pedros competitive preparation before the team travelled to Morocco.

Côte d’Ivoire have reached the Women’s World Cup once. Their 2015 appearance in Canada followed a third-place finish at the 2014 WAFCON, which remains their best result in the continental tournament. A second World Cup qualification would reconnect the current squad with the strongest period in the team’s senior history.

Kouassi has also linked qualification with the growth of women’s football at home. She believes another World Cup appearance could encourage more Ivorian girls to pursue the national team. That ambition gives the WAFCON run a development target alongside its immediate sporting result.

The forward has kept the team’s attention on WAFCON rather than Brazil. Côte d’Ivoire must first finish in the top two of Group B to reach the quarter-finals. From there, one knockout win would secure direct qualification, while a quarter-final defeat would leave the longer play-off route.

Kouassi enters the tournament with club production, recent international preparation and a settled squad around her. Côte d’Ivoire’s qualification outcome will depend on how those strengths hold up against Burkina Faso, South Africa and Tanzania before the knockout rounds decide Africa’s Brazil 2027 places.

Read Also: The FIFA Women’s World Cup 2027 tournament hub tracks Brazil-bound teams, fixtures and qualification updates.