Ivory Coast have been boosted by the news that Didier Drogba could be fit for their World Cup opener after the Chelsea striker returned to training on Thursday.

The 32-year-old underwent surgery last weekend on a broken arm sustained in a friendly match and there were fears he would be ruled out of the showpiece event, but he was back in training with a light protective cast and coach Sven-Goran Eriksson believes he could now feature against Portugal on June 15.

"If the match had been sooner, he wouldn't be able to play," he said. "But it's in a few days. He might play."