The winners of the 2026 Democracy Cup between Asante Kotoko and Hearts of Oak could travel to the United States to play an exhibition match in May 2027 under a proposed partnership between Ghana’s Parliament and the BABA Festival.
The two Ghanaian football giants are scheduled to meet in this year’s Democracy Cup on Friday, 28 August 2026.
A proposal submitted to Parliament and seen by JoySports says the club that wins the match could be invited to Antelope Valley, California, to face a partner team during the BABA Festival.
The proposal was put forward by Ambassador Christian P. Richards Jr., founder and president of Choosing Independence. He sent the letter, dated 18 August 2026, to the Clerk to Parliament, Ebenezer Ahumah Djietror.
The letter states: “We therefore propose that Parliament extend this tradition to Los Angeles”.
It adds that “the winning club of the 2026 Democracy Cup be invited to travel to Antelope Valley, California, to play a match against a partner team in May 2027”.
The proposed fixture would be a centrepiece sporting event at the BABA Festival, which aims to build links between Africa and the African-American diaspora.
Proposed partnership
The festival organisers have asked Ghana’s Parliament to become a strategic partner in the event.
Under the proposal, the Democracy Cup and Parliament’s civic engagement initiatives through sport would be included in the festival’s programme and communications.
Organisers said the proposed match would take the Democracy Cup’s message of “unity and democratic maturity” to the African-American community.
They believe the fixture could also create “a shared moment of pride, competition, and connection” for Ghanaians living in the diaspora and African Americans.
The letter described a potential visit to California as “a natural extension” of the Democracy Cup’s previous international engagements.
The organisers have indicated that they are prepared to work with Parliament on the “logistics, timing, and format” of the proposed match.
The proposal has now been presented to Parliament, although the proposed partnership and fixture remain subject to the relevant arrangements being agreed.
The result of Friday’s meeting between Asante Kotoko and Hearts of Oak will determine which club could represent the Democracy Cup in Antelope Valley in May 2027.
The Democracy Cup fixture will therefore decide not only the winner of this year’s contest between two of Ghana’s biggest football clubs, but also which side could be invited to take part in the proposed BABA Festival event in California.