Abidjan
Abidjan lives close to football. ASEC Mimosas are among the best-known clubs in the country, children kick a ball down the street after school, and the lagoon neighbourhoods have a pitch every few blocks. The MCC Abidjan tournament puts a 5-a-side season on top of that culture in 2027: three grounds, a Pitch Round that opens on 9 April and closes on 9 May, and a ladder to the World Final on 7 July.
Three grounds, three champions
Two halves of 15 minutes on a stop clock. Every team plays three group matches in a group of four, and the top two go into the playoffs, where a tie level after two halves goes to penalties. Five weeks of football on each ground leave Abidjan with three Pitch Champions, and each goes straight to the Country Championship.
North Abidjan
64 to 128 teams · $20,000 to its Pitch Champion
East Abidjan
64 to 128 teams · $20,000 to its Pitch Champion
South-West Abidjan
64 to 128 teams · $20,000 to its Pitch Champion
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Foot à 5 across the lagoon city
Small-sided games are part of how Abidjan plays. Teams from Yopougon, Cocody, Abobo and Marcory meet on concrete courts, school grounds and hired synthetic pitches, often in evening leagues organised by the neighbourhood itself. Company sides, university groups and old friends who play every Saturday are all the kind of team MCC is built for.
The rules fit on a card. Up to nine players make a squad, each half is 15 minutes with the clock stopped when play stops, and penalties settle any playoff that finishes level. Nothing in the format needs special equipment beyond a good pair of boots.
North, East and South-West Abidjan
The three grounds are shaped around the lagoon, which divides Abidjan and makes distance matter. North Abidjan serves the northern communes such as Abobo and Anyama, East Abidjan covers Cocody, Bingerville and the road toward Grand-Bassam, and South-West Abidjan takes in Yopougon, Marcory and Port-Bouet and the areas near the airport. A team plays at the ground closest to where its players live.
Getting around means woro-woro shared taxis, gbaka minibuses, the Sotra buses and increasingly ride-hailing, with the bridges over the lagoon being the main pinch points at rush hour. Choosing a ground on your own side of those bridges is the practical call.
The calendar from April to the World Final
April and May sit inside the main rainy season, so warm, humid weather with heavy showers is normal. Group matches fill three weekends: 9 to 11, 16 to 18 and 23 to 25 April. After the playoffs, which start on 30 April, every ground crowns its champion on 9 May 2027.
Côte d'Ivoire has no second MCC host city, so Abidjan's three Pitch Champions all go to the Country Championship on 28 to 30 May. The continental stage is next. The World Final is on 7 July 2027, the last date on the ladder.
A season rather than a one-day cup
Neighbourhood cups in Abidjan usually last a weekend or a holiday period. MCC spreads over five weeks in the city, with a published format, fixed dates and $20,000 for each Pitch Champion. Entrants must be amateurs holding one Team License apiece and naming a Team President, and a zero-tolerance conduct policy covers every team.
The road out of Abidjan
- 01 · 9 Apr - 9 May 2027
Pitch Round
Groups of four on every pitch, three group matches each. The top two of every group go into the playoffs, and penalties settle a level playoff tie.
$20,000 - 02 · 28-30 May 2027
Country Championship
The Pitch Champions of each country play for the national title: two halves of 15 minutes, a league table, then the playoffs.
$150,000 - 03 · 2027
Continental Championship
Country Champions compete within their region for a place on the world stage.
$500,000 - 04 · 7 Jul 2027
World Championship
A five-team mini-league, then the World Final: two halves of 15 minutes, penalties if level. One MCC World Champion.
$5,000,000
Questions from Abidjan
How does a team enter MCC in Abidjan?
Register on this site and pick one of Abidjan's three grounds: North Abidjan, East Abidjan, South-West Abidjan. One Team License per team: USD 1,200 for one year until 1 March 2027 (then 2,500), or 5,000 for three years. Payment and KYC verification follow the application.
When does the tournament start in Abidjan?
The Pitch Round runs 9 April to 9 May 2027 on all three Abidjan grounds. The group matches are played on 9-11, 16-18 and 23-25 April, the playoffs from 30 April, and each ground's final on 9 May. Pitch Champions go straight to the Country Championship on 28-30 May 2027.
How many teams can play in Abidjan?
Up to 384: each of the three grounds takes up to 128 teams, and each needs a minimum of 64 to run its round. A full ground puts an entry on its waitlist instead of turning it away.
What can a Abidjan team win?
$20,000 per Pitch Champion, $150,000 for the Côte d'Ivoire title, $500,000 continental and $5,000,000 for the World Champion - plus championship rings from Country level up.
Can a company or university team from Abidjan enter?
Yes, provided every player is an amateur. A workplace, campus or friends squad with between five and nine players qualifies, holding one Team License and naming a Team President at entry. No club structure is needed behind it.
Can a team from Yopougon or Abobo choose any ground?
Each ground runs its own full round, so the best choice is the one your players can reach after work. Abobo teams will often look first at North Abidjan and Yopougon teams at South-West Abidjan, but the choice is the team's own.
What happens if our team wins its ground?
The Pitch Champion takes home $20,000 and moves directly to the Country Championship, 28 to 30 May 2027. Abidjan is Côte d'Ivoire's only host city, so all three Abidjan champions meet there.
Which ground fits a team from Cocody or Bingerville?
East Abidjan covers Cocody, Bingerville and the road toward Grand-Bassam, so it is the natural fit. A ground holds 64 to 128 teams and crowns one Pitch Champion, and a team enters the ground its players can reach with the fewest lagoon crossings.
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Claim a pitch in Abidjan
One Team License per team, for one year or three years. Squads of up to 9 are built in the MCC app after licensing. Registration takes the team, its coach and its Team President.
- USD1,200One year
- 5,000Three years