Rebecca Elloh was not relegated with Valencia.
She chose to play in Primera Federación.
The forward had completed the 2024/25 season with Levante Badalona in Liga F when she decided to join a Valencia side that had just suffered the first relegation in their history.
A year later, the club returned to the top flight.
Now Elloh is one victory away from returning to the World Cup as well.
Six seasons in Spanish football
Elloh was born in Grand-Bassam on 25 December 1994.
In 2015, she played at the first World Cup in Ivory Coast’s history and began her career in European football.
The Ivorians lost all three matches in Canada against Germany, Thailand and Norway. It remains the country’s only appearance at the tournament.
Elloh went on to play for Gintra in Lithuania, Servette in Switzerland and Cypriot clubs Barcelona FA and Pyrgos Limassol.
She arrived in Spain in 2020.
Elloh spent two seasons with EDF Logroño and another two with Deportivo Alavés before joining Levante Badalona. From there, she took an unusual step: leaving a Liga F club to sign for one that had just been relegated.
Valencia announced her arrival in July 2025 on an initial one-year contract.
Elloh contributed to their promotion and remains part of the Valencia squad for their return to Liga F.
A starter in all three group matches
Ivory Coast have also had to wait for their return.
They had not contested a Women’s Africa Cup of Nations since 2014, when they finished third and qualified for the World Cup in Canada.
Elloh was part of that team and is one of the few players in the current squad with previous experience of the tournament.
Twelve years later, she returned with a goal.
The forward converted a seventh-minute penalty to open the scoring in the 4-1 victory over Burkina Faso. It was Ivory Coast’s first goal on their return to the competition.
Elloh also started the 2-2 draw with South Africa and the 1-2 victory over Tanzania. She was substituted in the 66th minute of the latter.
Ivory Coast finished top of Group B with seven points and eight goals.
On Saturday, they will contest the first quarter-final in their history against Algeria.
The round did not exist when they last appeared in 2014. Eight teams competed and the top two from each group advanced directly to the semi-finals. Ivory Coast finished second in their group, lost to Cameroon and defeated South Africa in the third-place play-off.
The winners of Saturday’s match will qualify directly for the 2027 World Cup in Brazil.
Elloh played at Ivory Coast’s only World Cup eleven years ago. Victory would send her country back twelve years later, after a season in which she helped Valencia return to Liga F and Ivory Coast return to WAFCON.
