Black Queens stun Côte d’Ivoire to keep 2026 World Cup hopes alive

Ghana’s Black Queens staged a spirited comeback to beat Côte d’Ivoire 2-1 in Casablanca on Thursday, keeping their hopes of qualifying for the 2026 FIFA Women’s World Cup alive.

The victory came after Ghana fell behind early, with Côte d’Ivoire taking the lead through Inès Konan from the penalty spot in the third minute after a VAR review.

The Black Queens struggled to settle into the game during the opening half as the Lady Elephants looked the more threatening side. Princess Marfo came close to restoring parity, but her effort went wide as Côte d’Ivoire went into the break with a 1-0 advantage.

Ghana thought they had equalised shortly after the restart when Stella Nyamekye found the back of the net, but the goal was disallowed following another VAR review, with goalkeeper Océane Lamfir adjudged to have been fouled in the build-up.

The Black Queens, however, continued to push forward and were rewarded in the 58th minute when Marfo rose highest to meet a corner and powered her header into the net to make it 1-1.

Ghana completed the turnaround after VAR awarded them a penalty for handball following a lengthy review.

Josephine Bonsu showed composure from the spot, sending the goalkeeper the wrong way to put the Black Queens 2-1 ahead.

Côte d’Ivoire threw players forward in search of an equaliser, but Ghana defended resolutely to preserve their lead and claim a crucial victory.

The win came at a cost, with the Black Queens suffering a number of injury setbacks. Doris Boaduwaa and Evelyn Badu were forced off before Susan Ama Duah was stretchered off late in the match.

Ghana will now turn their attention to securing their place in the next phase of the World Cup qualification process.

The first phase of the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup inter-confederation play-off tournament is scheduled for November-December 2026, with the second phase set to take place in February 2027.