Black Queens face Côte d’Ivoire in crucial WAFCON playoff for 2027 World Cup spot

Ghana’s Black Queens will face Côte d’Ivoire on Thursday, August 13, in a crucial 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) play-in, with a place in the FIFA Women’s World Cup Play-Off Tournament at stake.

The Black Queens were denied automatic qualification for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup after suffering a 2-1 defeat to Malawi in their WAFCON quarterfinal clash at the Al Madina Stadium in Rabat on Sunday night.

Ghana made a bright start to the encounter and took the lead through Cynthia Boakye-Hlorkah. However, the Scorchers responded quickly, with Temwa Chawinga restoring parity before Rose Kadzere completed Malawi’s comeback with the decisive goal in the 79th minute.

The defeat ended Ghana’s hopes of reaching the WAFCON semifinals and securing one of Africa’s automatic qualification slots for the 2027 World Cup.

The Black Queens, however, still have a route to the global showpiece and must now beat Côte d’Ivoire in the play-in to progress to the FIFA Women’s World Cup Play-Off Tournament.

The other African play-in will see defending WAFCON champions Nigeria take on South Africa, with the two winners securing Africa’s places in the FIFA play-off tournament.

The play-in was introduced for the teams that were eliminated in the WAFCON quarterfinals, giving them another opportunity to secure qualification for the 2027 World Cup in Brazil.

The FIFA Women’s World Cup Play-Off Tournament will feature teams from different confederations competing for the remaining places at the tournament.

The first phase is scheduled to take place at a centralised venue in November and December 2026, with six teams, including Africa’s two representatives, competing for progression to the final phase.

The top two teams from the opening phase will advance to the final stage in February 2027, where they will be joined by four teams from Concacaf, CONMEBOL and UEFA.

The six teams will then be divided into three knockout paths, with the winner of each path earning a place at the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup.

For Ghana, however, the immediate priority is Côte d’Ivoire on August 13.

Victory would keep the Black Queens’ hopes of reaching the World Cup alive, while another defeat would bring an end to their campaign to return to the global tournament for the first time since 2007.