Olympique de Marseille boosts Ivory Coast tourism with Abidjan tour

The Olympique de Marseille squad landed at Félix Houphouët-Boigny International Airport in Abidjan-Port Bouët on a Wednesday, greeted by traditional dancers, musicians, and a group of enthusiastic supporters. This arrival kicked off the OM Summer Tour 2026, a 72-hour promotional event following the renewal of a partnership agreement signed on April 2 between the French football club and Sublime Côte d’Ivoire, the country’s tourism promotion brand.

€5 million annual partnership signed

The three-year collaboration, finalized in April with government officials, injects approximately €5 million annually into Olympique de Marseille’s coffers—equivalent to 3.275 billion West African CFA francs—while tasking the club with showcasing Ivory Coast as a premier European travel destination. In exchange, the French side commits to publicizing the West African nation’s attractions across its European audience and executing joint marketing campaigns.

Tourism and Leisure Minister Siandou Fofana spearheads this tourism-focused soft power initiative, working alongside Culture Minister Françoise Remarck and Sports Minister Adjé Silas Metch. The strategy aims to elevate Ivory Coast’s appeal among European travelers by leveraging the historical prestige of a major French football institution.

A public training session and gala match on the agenda

The itinerary includes a public training session on Thursday at the Félix Houphouët-Boigny Stadium in Abidjan-Plateau, where local fans can witness the training drills and interact with the technical staff. The highlight arrives Friday at 6:30 PM with a free exhibition match against Yamoussoukro FC, an Ivorian top-flight club, also at the Félix Houphouët-Boigny Stadium. The open-access format seeks to maximize community engagement and strengthen football-driven ties between both nations.

A scheduled institutional meeting between Ivorian government representatives and the Olympique de Marseille delegation, as well as a social visit to underprivileged children, rounds out the itinerary, according to local reports.

Ivory Coast’s tourism ambitions

Ivory Coast has steadily positioned tourism as a cornerstone of economic diversification. As West Africa’s largest Francophone economy—with a projected 2025 GDP of $85 billion, per World Bank estimates—the nation actively promotes its Sublime Côte d’Ivoire brand, launched in 2019 to elevate the country’s global tourism profile.

The bustling economic hub of Abidjan, home to 5.6 million residents, serves as the epicenter of the country’s tourism infrastructure and hotel offerings. The iconic 35,000-seat Félix Houphouët-Boigny Stadium, situated in the Plateau district, hosted multiple matches during the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations, which Ivory Coast claimed with a historic victory.

This partnership aligns with a broader government strategy involving collaborations with European clubs and federations to amplify the country’s international visibility. France remains the leading source of outbound tourists to Ivory Coast, surpassing other West African markets.

Football as a gateway to tourism growth

By harnessing Olympique de Marseille’s popularity in Francophone regions and Ivory Coast’s deep-rooted passion for European football, authorities are targeting a sector still underdeveloped despite the nation’s stunning Atlantic coastline, pristine national parks, and rich cultural heritage. The Marseille-based club, meanwhile, diversifies its revenue streams through international partnerships following a 2025-2026 Ligue 1 season that concluded with a fifth-place finish. The agreement with Sublime Côte d’Ivoire ranks among the club’s most lucrative sponsorship deals, rivaling income from traditional commercial partners and kit suppliers.

The tour concludes on Sunday, July 18, with the Marseille delegation’s departure. The tourism ministry will analyze media coverage and tourism bookings in the weeks ahead, with plans to replicate the initiative during the 2026-2027 season.