Nickname: The Elephants
Coach: Vahid Halilhodzic
Previous World Cup appearances: 1
Best finish: Round 1
Key players:
Didier Drogba
Salomon Kalou
Kolo Toure
Ivory Coast's rise has reflected the growth in significance of African football on the world stage. The likes of Cameroon and Nigeria illuminated World Cups before The Elephants rumbled in back in 2006: but the team led by Didier Drogba will arguably the strongest presence from the host continent in South Africa.
The current crop of Ivorian footballing talent is the envy not just of their African counterparts but many more established footballing nations.
The lethal finishing of Chelsea striker Drogba could spearhead the African nation's assault on the 2010 World Cup finals. In Drogba, the Ivory Coast possess possibly the most feared target man in world football.
When the former Marseille man is on his game, he is unstoppable, and opponents will be mindful of starving the giant forward of the ball. Easier said than done. Six goals in the qualifying campaign went some way to showing what he can do.
The defence is marshalled by the brilliant Kolo Toure, formerly of Arsenal, now captain at Mark Hughes's all-star Manchester City.
Emmanuel Eboue is another seasoned performer - having starred at occasions such as the 2006 UEFA Champions League final for Arsenal, Eboue will never be fazed by the big occasion.
Added to this already impressive array of talent are Salomon Kalou of Chelsea, whose game has improved immeasurably in recent seasons, while Aruna Dindane of Portsmouth should partner Drogba in a potent strike partnership.
The Ivorians qualified for their first World Cup at Germany in 2006, but had the misfortune of being pitched into an almost impossibly hard group.
Positive performances against Argentina and the Netherlands won them plenty of fans amongst the watching football world - so don't be fooled by the fact that they failed to get out of their group.
They finished their three group games with a stunning 3-2 victory against Serbia & Montenegro, bouncing back from two goals down thanks to two from Dindane and one from Bonaventure Kalou - Salomon's elder brother.
Coach Vahid Halilhodzic oversaw a commanding qualifying campaign as they topped a group including Burkina Faso, Malawi and Guinea.
"My friends and I want to make history in South Africa," says Drogba, referring to the collective will among the Elephants to make their mark at the first World Cup on African soil.
Don't bet against them doing just that - even if they become the first African nation to reach the last four, they will have made an important statement. And they certainly look more likely to make a mark on the tournament than host nation South Africa.
