Stade d’Abidjan win first Ligue 1 LONACI title since 1969

Stade d’Abidjan returned to the summit of Ivorian club football after a long wait on Sunday, securing the Ligue 1 LONACI title on the final matchday with a 3-0 victory over Lys Sassandra.

Mansou Kouakou’s “Olympic goal” from a corner kick late on sparked the growing party atmosphere at a rain-soaked Stade Robert Champroux. Despite strong competition from the likes of AFAD Djekanou and legendary Abidjan club ASEC Mimosas, Les Yeyés were simply too strong and consistent when it mattered most.

After a four-match winless run put the championship back into doubt, Stade rattled off five consecutive victories to clinch their sixth top flight title. After reaching the group stage of the 2024-25 CAF Champions League, Stade d’Abidjan will return to Africa’s premier club competition with hopes of once again testing themselves against the continent’s top clubs.

ASEC ended their campaign on a strong note with a 2-1 victory at SOA to complete a ten-match unbeaten run in league play.

However, it was not enough for Les Mimos to overcome a poor start to the season that left them playing catch up to Stade d’Abidjan. ASEC and AFAD will compete in next season’s CAF Confederation Cup, where ASEC reached the quarterfinals at this year’s edition before bowing out to RS Berkane of Morocco.

The Ligue 1 season will end on Monday with three matches. Lys Sassandra and AS Denguele will be the teams who are relegated.

Final League Table (Top-5)