UNITED STATES -- The Ivory Coast could be on the brink of history ahead of their second FIFA World Cup game against Germany in Toronto on Saturday, and Elephants head coach Emerse Fae has called on fans to 'make maximum noise'.
With victory guaranteeing a first ever qualification to the tournament's knockout stages, Ivory Coast aren't expected to be heavily supported at BMO Field, with the price of tickets and visa restrictions impacting the ability of home and North America-based supporters alike from backing their team during their fourth World Cup campaign.
However, supporters watching back in West Africa, or in Toronto but unable to afford a ticket, can still play their part in getting the Elephants over the line and into the knockout stages, according to Faé.
"I have a message for them, yes," he told journalists on Friday. "We count on our supporters like never before.
"Those who are at the stadium must make the maximum noise, like we did against Ecuador, even though we weren't numerous.
"For those who can't come to the stadium, take to the streets of Toronto, get to the fan zones, make as much noise as possible to do as much as you can to help us qualify.
"If we qualify, then we can all party together and celebrate this victory together."
Across three previous World Cup finals appearances, the Elephants won three out of nine matches but fell at the first hurdle on each occasion. However, this time around, an opening 1-0 victory over Ecuador has given the 2024 African champions their best chance yet of reaching the knockouts, with likely one more point needed across fixtures with Germany and Ecuador.
However, there was scant representation from Ivorian supporters among the 68,000 fans in attendance for their opener against Ecuador in Philadelphia, with visa restrictions and the requirement of a bond of $5,000 to $15,000 (€4,300 to €13,000) to be paid for Ivorian visa applicants preventing home-based supporters from accompanying their team.
They are expected to have more representation for their second group game, in Canada, where a different visa structure is in place, although ticket prices have also taken match attendance out of reach for some portions of the fanbase.
Victory against Germany would guarantee the Elephants' progression to the Last 32, and Faé hopes that a positive result will bring succour to those fans back home who have been unable to travel to North America.
"Obviously if we can take top spot, it will help us and give us confidence," Faé continued. "We're going [into the match] with peace of mind, knowing that if we win, it will be historic for the Ivorian team and for our country.
"After the match, we want to go home to our Philadelphia base knowing we've got six points and aiming for top place in the group.
"We'll go out to look for the victory, and we won't change our habits just because it's Germany. We are going to prepare for the match in the same way as usual, we won't change anything.
"We'll play to our strengths. We're aware of their strengths - including offensively - but we're solid defensively, and we'll keep this and try to hurt them offensively."
The Ivory Coast concluded their Group E campaign against Curacao back in Philadelphia on June 25, while Germany will face Ecuador in East Rutherford, New Jersey, on the same day.
Ecuador and Curacao meet on Saturday in Kansas City in their second group game, with both under pressure to take points after opening defeats.