Black Queens head coach Kim Lars Björkegren expects Ghana’s opening match at the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations against tournament debutants Cape Verde to be a difficult test despite his side targeting all three points.
Ghana begin their Group D campaign on Wednesday, July 29, with Björkegren insisting the Black Queens are preparing for a highly motivated Cape Verde side eager to make an impression in their first-ever WAFCON appearance.
“It’s going to be a tough one. The first time with Cape Verde in the WAFCON. They will for sure play with a lot of passion.
We saw the men’s team did the same thing in the World Cup. So we expect a tough game but at the same time we believe in ourselves and will do our things. We can hopefully start the tournament with a win, but that’s our main target,” he said.
Now let’s put faces to the names here👧 👇🏾#BlackQueens 🇬🇭 #ShineBlackQueens✨ #MoreThanAble 💪🏾 pic.twitter.com/90i5xeqqjV
— Ghana Women National Teams 🇬🇭 (@GhanaWNT) July 25, 2026
The Swedish tactician also drew comparisons with Ghana’s own experience at the previous edition, when the Black Queens struggled in the opening half of their first match against South Africa.
According to Björkegren, that experience has helped shape a more mature and battle-tested squad heading into this year’s tournament.
“They are in a similar situation to what we were one year ago. Looking back, I think we didn’t perform that well in the first half against South Africa in our opening game. I think some of the players were a little bit nervous and we made mistakes we don’t normally make.
“Now it’s the opposite. We have a much more experienced group. We had a good tournament one year ago and I believe that experience will help us.”
The Black Queens will be aiming to make a winning start as they seek to progress from Group D and challenge for their first WAFCON title.
