It is one of the beautiful lighthearted stories of this world cup that supporters of a football-mad nation that did not qualify are rooting for an African nation with which there is virtually nothing in common.
Since the beginning of the tournament being co-hosted by Mexico, Canada and the United States, Irish fans at home have been enthusiastically supporting a team from West Africa – the Elephants of the Ivory Coast who like eight other African sides have booked their place in the knockout round of 32.
Tunisia is the only African team going home after losing all its matches in the group stage.
Ireland didn’t qualify for the 48-team tournament after being knocked out in the World Cup playoff semifinal by Czechia but their fans are making it clear where their sentiment now lies and it not with any European side.
It all began as a lighthearted banter based on similarity of two national flags which soon caught on in pubs and formed the basis for stunts and marketing gimmicks linked to the greatest sporting spectacle in the world.
Edinburgh pub Biddy Mulligans made a social media rallying call exhorting the Irish to support Ivory Coast given that the African country has a flag very similar to Ireland.
That call was gradually heeded. In the run up to World Cup games involving Ivory Coast, Irish fans have been seen in pubs in their country donning familiar flags and belting out Ivorian songs with slight alterations.
Draped in their national colours which are turned upside down to mimick the Ivorian flag, Irish football fans in Edingburgh celebrate wildly every time the team in orange score at the World Cup.
There are usually sprinklings of native Ivorians joining in the football rivelry around the Irish capital.
Although Ireland and Ivory Coast may have nothing in common in terms of culture, they have near identical flags, which are usually mistaken for each other in international fora including meetings and sporting events.
There was the story of an Ivorian female athlete who won a race in 2018 but did not have her country’s colours to celebrate and used an Irish flag instead. Many in the stands were none the wiser as she appeared in photos draped in Irish colours.
In international meetings, organisers sometimes confuse the two countries flags to the bemusement of their diplomats and those representing them.
The tricolour of Ivory Coast is orange white and green while with Ireland the same colours are in reverse order, leaving the cursory observer oblivious of the difference.
Both both national colours were inspired by the French tricolour of blue (hoist side) white and red.
And the Ivorians have given their Irish fans cause to cheer and revel in the excitement of the World Cup.
They clinched second place after beating Ecuador (1-nil) in the opening Group E game, losing to Germany (2-1) and defeating Curacao (2-0).
The West Africans who are the surrogate team for Irish fans are set to face Norway on June 30th and they are up for it and wish the African side beat the European team led by Manchester City ace Erling Haaland.