Former Ivory Coast international Yaya Touré has made history after becoming the first African coach to lead a club into the UEFA Champions League league phase.

Touré achieved the feat with Slovak champions Slovan Bratislava, who secured their place in the competition after defeating Slovenian side NK Celje 2-1 after extra time in the second leg of their final qualifying tie on Wednesday.

The victory gave Slovan a 3-2 aggregate win and secured their place among the 36 clubs in this season’s Champions League league phase.

The achievement is particularly significant given that the 43-year-old is in his first senior managerial role.

Touré was appointed Slovan’s head coach in June and has quickly made an impact, guiding the club through three qualifying rounds to reach European football’s elite competition.

Slovan began their qualifying campaign against Georgia’s Saburtalo before overcoming Sweden’s Mjallby and then Celje in the final play-off round.

Cristian Martinez scored in the 100th minute to give Touré’s side the decisive advantage and send them through to the league phase.

Touré’s achievement surpasses the previous milestone set by Nigerian coach Ndubuisi Egbo, who led Albanian club KF Tirana into the Champions League qualifying rounds in 2020 but did not guide the team into the main competition.

The former Barcelona and Manchester City midfielder, who won the Champions League with Barcelona in 2009, will now face some of Europe’s biggest clubs from the dugout.

Slovan’s first league-phase assignment is a daunting one, with the Slovak champions set to travel to face defending champions Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday.

PSG are seeking a third consecutive Champions League title after winning the competition in 2025 and 2026.

For Touré, the fixture offers an immediate return to the competition he conquered as a player, this time from the touchline as a history-making African coach.