Felix Afena-Gyan believes Ghana can still qualify for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations despite beginning their campaign with two defeats.
The Black Stars have no points from their opening two matches after losing to Ivory Coast and The Gambia, leaving them with little room for error in their next fixtures.
Ghana will face Somalia twice this month in a crucial attempt to revive their qualifying campaign for the tournament, which will be hosted in East Africa. Afena-Gyan, who is expected to be involved in both matches, says the team should not yet be written off.
The forward has also urged supporters to attend in large numbers and back the Black Stars as they attempt to recover from their difficult start.
“They [the fans] should come in their numbers to support us. We are going to give our best,” Afena-Gyan told Africa4Sports.
“There is always hope [that we can qualify for the AFCON]. It’s a mistake to rule us out. Losing the two matches doesn’t mean anything. Nothing is out of hand.”
Afena-Gyan scored for Ghana in their 4-2 defeat by The Gambia during the previous international break, but that result followed their earlier loss to Ivory Coast and left the Black Stars at the bottom of their qualifying position with no points after two games.
Their double-header with Somalia begins at home, with Ghana hosting the first match at Essipong Sports Stadium in Sekondi on Thursday, November 12.
The Black Stars will then travel for the return fixture on Monday, November 16, with the two matches providing an opportunity to put points on the board and restore momentum to their qualification push.
Afena-Gyan’s message is that Ghana’s poor opening does not make qualification impossible. He has called for both a stronger response from the players and significant support from the fans when Somalia visit Sekondi.
The Black Stars must now turn that belief into results after failing to take anything from their first two fixtures.
