Ghana head coach Kim Lars Bjorkegren has urged the Black Queens to improve their finishing when they face Mali in their final group match at the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON).
The decisive fixture will take place at the Moulay Rachid Stadium in Casablanca, with kick-off scheduled for 20:00 GMT.
Bjorkegren believes Ghana have created enough chances to have already secured a place in the quarter-finals, but says their failure to convert opportunities has left their qualification hopes in the balance.
The Swedish coach pointed to the team’s expected goals (xG) figures as evidence that the Black Queens’ attacking performances have been better than their goal return suggests.
“If you’re looking at our XG [expected goals], I think it’s close to 6, and we have scored just one goal. I wish we had scored closer to our XG, and if we did, we would have already qualified for the quarter-finals,” he said.
Ghana began their WAFCON campaign with a win against tournament debutants Cape Verde, but their progress was checked by a narrow 1-0 defeat by Cameroon.
That result delayed their qualification for the last eight and increased the importance of the meeting with Mali. Ghana must now turn their chances into goals if they are to advance from the group and strengthen their prospects of qualifying for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
Despite his frustration with the team’s finishing, Bjorkegren remains confident that the Black Queens can improve during the competition. He said clinical attacking play depends on a combination of technical quality, belief and an element of fortune.
“Sometimes it’s about qualities, and maybe a little bit of luck, and hopefully when we find the luck, and we do the hard work, then the snowball effect will be there that we are just going to perform better and better, and hopefully we are going to improve in this tournament as we did in the previous WAFCON,” he added.
The Black Queens will therefore approach the Mali game knowing that their attacking output could determine whether they continue into the knockout stage or bring their tournament to an early close.
Bjorkegren’s side have produced sufficient opportunities across their opening matches, but only one goal has been scored. Their challenge against Mali will be to match that chance creation with the composure required in front of goal.
The match is scheduled to begin at 20:00 GMT at the Moulay Rachid Stadium in Casablanca.
