Ghana’s Africa Cup of Nations 2027 qualifier against Somalia could be moved from the Accra Sports Stadium to Sekondi’s Essipong Sports Stadium, with the Ghana Football Association (GFA) pressing for a change just over a week before kick-off.
Acting National Sports Authority (NSA) Director-General Prof. Emmanuel Osei Sarpong told Asempa FM on Tuesday that the NSA’s official documentation still lists Accra as the venue. “Officially, the letter we have states that the game will be played at the Accra Sports Stadium, but the Ghana Football Association (GFA) is pushing for the game to be played at the Essipong Sports Stadium,” he said.
Osei Sarpong said a decision would be reached by the end of Tuesday, although the GFA had not published an update on its website by Wednesday morning.
Both Group C fixtures will be staged in Ghana because CAF was unable to certify a stadium in Somalia. The NSA had already approved the Accra Sports Stadium for Somalia’s home match.
Ghanaian reports list the first game for Thursday, November 12, with the return fixture scheduled for Monday, November 16. Some international fixture listings put both matches one day earlier. The relevant international window runs from November 9 to 17.
The NSA had previously said it wanted Somalia’s home fixture played at Essipong to allow the Accra Sports Stadium time to recover. Essipong received conditional FIFA and CAF approval for the Black Queens’ match against Mauritius on October 13, and the NSA is seeking full certification.
A recent CAF inspection found “advanced deterioration” in the stadium’s metal structures and rated the ground only partially compliant, according to a JoyNews Hindsight column. Inspectors also raised concerns about crowd management, emergency evacuation procedures, media facilities, security and the lack of electronic turnstiles.
Part of the pitch was reportedly left bare following a Shatta Wale concert. The stadium has not hosted a league match since Ghana played The Gambia there on September 29. In September, former NSA Director-General Yaw Ampofo Ankrah told 3Sports that the Accra Sports Stadium was Ghana’s only venue approved for FIFA Category A matches.
Interim coaching team
The squad for the November fixtures will be selected by the interim technical team appointed by the GFA on October 16. Black Queens coach Kim Lars Bjorkegren leads the group, supported by assistant coaches Ibrahim Tanko and Godwin Attram, while Fatawu Dauda is responsible for the goalkeepers.
The GFA says the arrangement is limited to the November matches as its Black Stars Coach Search Committee continues looking for a permanent head coach. Carlos Queiroz departed after Ghana lost both September games.
The appointment has attracted criticism because the Black Queens’ Olympic qualifying play-off falls within nine days of the Black Stars’ match. Tanko, who also manages Ghana Premier League leaders Medeama, said the Somalia fixtures must take priority. “We cannot afford to look too far ahead without first taking care of the immediate task. The Somalia matches are our priority,” he told Joy Sports in comments reported by the Daily Graphic.
Ghana are expected to be without Antoine Semenyo because of a knee injury.
After two matches, Cote d’Ivoire and The Gambia lead Group C on six points, with goal differences of +4 and +3 respectively. Somalia are third on zero points with -3, while Ghana are bottom with zero points and -4.
Ghana lost 2-0 to Cote d’Ivoire in Bouake on September 24 before surrendering a 2-0 lead in a 4-2 defeat by The Gambia in Accra five days later.
The top two teams in each group qualify for the finals in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania. Two victories over Somalia would give Ghana six points, the maximum available to them before March. Cote d’Ivoire and The Gambia play each other twice this month, ensuring at least one of the current leaders drops points.
Ghana host Cote d’Ivoire on March 24, 2027, before travelling to The Gambia four days later. The Black Stars missed the 2025 finals in Morocco. CAF last week abandoned plans for a four-year AFCON cycle, with subsequent editions after 2027 due in 2028, 2031 and 2033.
