Next Black Stars coach '99% in place', says GFA president Okraku

Ghana Football Association (GFA) president Kurt Okraku says the appointment of a new Black Stars head coach is almost complete, with only the final paperwork remaining before an official announcement.

The senior national team has been without a substantive coach since Carlos Queiroz's four-month contract expired after leading Ghana at the 2026 Fifa World Cup.

Queiroz was appointed on a short-term basis to replace Otto Addo ahead of the tournament in North America, where the Black Stars reached the knockout stage for the first time since 2010.

With Ghana set to regroup next month for the start of their 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifying campaign, Okraku insisted the team would have a coach in place before the squad assembles.

“Ghana will have a coach before we regroup. The coach who will lead the Black Stars is 99% in place. The coach who will lead the Black Stars is already working,” Okraku told 3Sports.

Okraku said the process had reached its final stage, with only the formalities left to complete.

“We are just at that last line where we have to sign papers and formalise the relationship. We have machinery in place; we are working,” he added.

The GFA president did not reveal whether the coach he referred to is Queiroz or another candidate, leaving the Portuguese manager's future with the national team uncertain.

The new coach will take charge as Ghana begins preparations for the 2027 AFCON, with the four-time African champions aiming to end a title drought stretching back to their last triumph in 1982.

The Black Stars will open their Group C qualifying campaign away to Ivory Coast at the Stade de la Paix in Bouaké on 24 September, with kick-off scheduled for 19:00 GMT.

Ghana's qualifying group also includes Somalia and The Gambia.