Black Stars face make-or-break AFCON qualifier start against Côte d'Ivoire

Ghana's football fortunes hang precariously in the balance as the Black Stars prepare for what could define their entire 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying journey. The opening fixture against Côte d'Ivoire on the road represents not merely a group-stage game, but a critical test of whether the team has learned from one of the darkest chapters in its qualifying history.

The scars of the 2025 AFCON qualifying campaign remain fresh. Two years ago, Ghana's qualification hopes crumbled spectacularly when a poor start proved irreversible. Facing what appeared on paper to be manageable opponents in Angola and Niger, the Black Stars managed just one point from their opening two matches—Angola broke their 24-year unbeaten run at the Baba Yara Stadium with a late goal, while Niger fought back for a 1-1 draw. That stumble snowballed into a disaster: Ghana completed the entire six-match qualifying series without a single victory, scored just three goals, and failed to reach an AFCON tournament for the first time in two decades.

A Tougher Road Ahead

This time, the early challenge is even more daunting. Côte d'Ivoire are not merely strong opponents—they are the reigning African champions, unbeaten at home for more than two and a half years. Ghana, conversely, have not won an AFCON qualifier since September 2023, a drought that spans over a year. The matchup offers another uncomfortable statistic: Ghana have never beaten Côte d'Ivoire in an AFCON qualifying match and have never even scored against them in such fixtures.

To compound matters, new head coach Carlos Queiroz will field a squad shorn of key personnel. Captain Jordan Ayew, midfielder Mohammed Kudus, winger Antoine Semenyo, and vice-captain Thomas Partey are all ruled out through injury for the opening two matches. The absence of such experienced, influential players significantly weakens Ghana's capacity to compete against a side of Côte d'Ivoire's calibre.

Adding to the pressure is the compressed fixture schedule. Ghana face Côte d'Ivoire away before returning home to The Gambia just five days later—a gruelling sequence that offers little recovery time and compounds the difficulty of the opening assignment.

Why It Matters for Ghana

For Ghanaians, this qualifier represents far more than a single match. The nation's absence from AFCON 2025 was a shock to the system for a football-loving country accustomed to competing at Africa's premier tournament. That failure was viewed as a collective embarrassment for a nation with Ghana's football heritage and pedigree.

Queiroz, appointed to restore the programme's credibility, has explicitly stated that qualifying for AFCON is itself a trophy—a reflection of just how far the Black Stars' standards have slipped. For the coach and his team, there is no room for the complacency or poor starts that defined the previous campaign. The psychological weight of that history could either galvanise the squad or hang over it like a shadow.

The Côte d'Ivoire fixture will serve as an early barometer of whether Ghana have genuinely rebuilt or merely restocked. A positive result—or even a creditable performance despite the injuries—could provide momentum and restore belief. Conversely, another false start could resurrect the demons that plagued the last campaign and raise fresh doubts about the direction of the national team.

A New Beginning Demands Action

Queiroz has defined the qualifying campaign as the first trophy to be won on his journey with Ghana. The language is deliberate and ambitious. But words alone will not overcome Côte d'Ivoire's home strength, Ghana's recent drought, or the absence of key players. The Black Stars must produce the kind of collective resilience and tactical discipline that has been absent in recent years.

History, form, injuries, and opposition quality are all stacked against Ghana. Yet the events of the previous qualifying campaign serve as a painful enough reminder: poor starts are not recoverable. Queiroz and his players cannot afford to stumble now.