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

Toure 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 the club’s place among the 36 teams in this season’s Champions League league phase.

The achievement is particularly remarkable given that Toure is in his first senior managerial role.

Appointed as Slovan’s head coach in June, the former Ivory Coast midfielder 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 Toure’s side the decisive advantage and secure their progression to the league phase.

Toure’s achievement surpasses the previous milestone set by Nigerian coach Ndubuisi Egbo, who guided Albanian club KF Tirana into the Champions League qualifying rounds in 2020 but did not take 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 will be a challenging 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 Toure, the fixture will provide an immediate return to the competition he conquered as a player, but this time from the touchline as a history-making African coach.