馃嚚馃嚠C么te d'IvoireWest Africa
Spain defeats Belgium 2-1 to advance to 2026 World Cup semifinals against France
via Abidjan.net7 min read
Spain's national football team, La Roja, secured a spot in the 2026 World Cup semifinals after a 2-1 victory over Belgium. The match took place on Friday at the Los Angeles Stadium in Inglewood. Fabi谩n Ruiz opened the scoring for Spain in the 30th minute. Belgium's Charles De Ketelaere equalized in the 41st minute, bringing the score to 1-1 before halftime. The second half saw an intense contest between both teams. Mikel Merino scored the winning goal for Spain in the 88th minute, securing their 2-1 triumph. Spain will now face France in the semifinals, who previously defeated Morocco 2-0, for a chance to play in the final.
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The 脡l茅phantes of C么te d'Ivoire secured the bronze medal in Division 3 of the Unified Football World Cup on Friday, July 10, 2026, in Paris. They defeated Hong Kong 5-2 at Stade Charl茅ty after being reallocated to Division 3 following the group stage. Following their victory, the team was visited by Didier Drogba, Global Ambassador for Special Olympics. Drogba, the former captain of the 脡l茅phants, addressed the players, stating, "People think that we are the source of inspiration. In reality, it is you who inspire us. Your efforts and your courage give hope to many people. You are worthy ambassadors of C么te d'Ivoire." The exchange, organized by 脡ric Nelson Monnet, Executive Director of Special Olympics C么te d'Ivoire, included a photo session and Drogba presenting Nike gift vouchers to the entire delegation. The Ivorian delegation is scheduled to participate in the closing ceremony on Saturday, July 11, before returning to Abidjan on Sunday, July 12.
A training program for professional Robusta coffee tasters was officially launched on Friday, July 10, 2026, at the National Center for Agronomic Research CNRA headquarters in Cocody, Abidjan. This initiative, a collaboration between CNRA, the Coffee-Cocoa Council, the International Trade Centre ITC, and the Agency of Robusta Coffees of Africa and Madagascar ACRAM, aims to train about twenty tasters. The six-day training, starting Monday, July 13, 2026, in Bingerville, seeks to enhance the skills of professional tasters to accelerate the valuation of Ivorian coffee in international markets. Coulibaly Ali, representative of the Ivorian Minister of Agriculture, Rural Development, and Food Production, emphasized that this training is an act of economic justice for producers, ensuring their work is fairly compensated by mastering sensory evaluation. He added that evaluating coffee according to international standards is now a market requirement. Dr. N'Goran Koffi, Deputy Director General of the Coffee-Cocoa Council, highlighted the ambition to build a value-added sector for stakeholders, noting that Ivorian Robusta feeds industries worldwide. Abdourahamane Sangar茅, Director General of CNRA, stated that the training is the beginning of a quality process to revive Ivorian coffee. Anselme Gouton, President of ACRAM, welcomed the initiative, stressing the importance for producing countries to assert their global ambitions and position African coffee, known for its aromatic complexity
Must ReadPresident Alassane Ouattara expressed satisfaction with the record financial mobilization of 47,820 billion CFA francs approximately 80 billion US dollars for C么te d'Ivoire's 2026-2030 National Development Plan PND. This amount is about four times the targeted financing of 11,138.2 billion CFA francs. The President made this statement on July 10, 2026, following the Consultative Group meetings held on July 8 and 9, 2026, in Abidjan. Over 2,000 investors from 49 countries, including representatives from financial institutions, investment funds, banks, employer organizations, public and private companies, and development partners, attended the meetings. The PND 2026-2030 aims to "Build a stable, ambitious, and united Great Nation" with a total investment volume of 114,838.5 billion CFA francs approximately 209 billion US dollars over five years. The private sector is expected to contribute 70.2% of this investment. The plan focuses on six priorities: peace, security, and stability; agriculture and agro-industry; private sector development and industrialization; human capital; strategic infrastructure; and good governance and state modernization. Macroeconomic objectives include elevating C么te d'Ivoire to the rank of upper-middle-income economies by 2030, with a GDP per capita of 4,500 US dollars and a poverty rate below 20%. President Ouattara emphasized the state's responsibility to transform these financial commitments into tangible achievements for all Ivorians, including mo