Ivory Coast opened its World Cup week in Chester on Friday evening with a public training session at Subaru Park, a rare chance for local fans to watch the team before it begins its campaign against Ecuador on Sunday night. The crowd was about 5,000, and the session came two days before kickoff in Philadelphia Stadium, also known as Lincoln Financial Field.
That is why people were searching for Drogba on Friday night: the name still carries the pull of Ivory Coast, and the team’s stop in the Delaware Valley turned a routine workout into a local event. Fans filled the stands in orange kit and other unofficial gear, and the setting gave the region an up-close look at the only team scheduled to stay and train here during the tournament.
Ivory Coast has made the Delaware Valley its base camp for the World Cup, with Hotel Du Pont in Wilmington serving as the team hotel and Subaru Park in Chester as the training ground. The side is also the only nation scheduled to play at the Linc twice during the group stage, which means the region is not just hosting a visit but serving as the team’s home for the next stretch of the tournament.
The public access has already built some momentum. Ivory Coast beat Union II, 2-0, in a tuneup friendly on Monday that was open to the public, then took its official squad photo before Friday’s session and added light 11-on-11 work. Emerse Faé said the team had received a warm welcome since arriving last Saturday, and he told supporters, “We want to see you on Sunday for the win.”
That welcome has also brought a small, visible fan base into the team’s orbit. Sam Shovers and Joe Santillo bought tickets to Ivory Coast’s final group-stage match against Curaçao at the Linc on June 25, and Shovers said he wanted to get acclimated and support while also getting “as invested and ingratiated in the vibes of it as possible.” He said the region’s connection to West Africa made the buildup even more interesting.
For now, the practical reality is simple: Ivory Coast will be here for at least three weeks, training on the banks of the Delaware River and playing the matches that decide whether its World Cup run lasts beyond the group stage. The region is already preparing for the tournament’s start in Philadelphia, but no other team has set up the same kind of day-to-day base in the Delaware Valley.
