The Black Stars may have started their 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaign on the wrong foot with a 2–0 defeat to Côte d’Ivoire in Bouaké.
But it is too early to judge Carlos Queiroz and the direction of his team based on one competitive game.
Côte d’Ivoire are the reigning African champions, having won the 2023 AFCON on home soil. Of the 27 players in their squad for that tournament, about 12 remain involved with the national team, including Yahia Fofana, Evan Ndicka, Ousmane Diomandé, Franck Kessié, Ibrahim Sangaré, Seko Fofana and Nicolas Pépé.
That gives the Ivorians a core of players who already understand each other. Ghana, meanwhile, are rebuilding after a difficult period.
The Black Stars were eliminated in the group stages of the 2021 and 2023 AFCON tournaments without winning a game, before failing to qualify for the 2025 edition in Morocco.
It was the first time in 20 years that Ghana had missed the tournament, increasing the pressure on the team to deliver in the current qualifying campaign.
Queiroz’s first competitive AFCON assignment since returning as Black Stars coach was also complicated by a series of withdrawals and fitness concerns.
Mohammed Kudus, Antoine Semenyo, captain Jordan Ayew, Baba Rahman and Alidu Seidu were among those unavailable for different reasons.
The situation left Ghana with limited preparation time and forced Queiroz to rely on several players who were not initially expected to carry major responsibility in a difficult away fixture.
Only seven players arrived in camp in time for the first training session, while 18 were available for the following session. Felix Afena-Gyan and Brandon Thomas-Asante, among others, had only one training session in Côte d’Ivoire before the match.
Only five players, Gideon Mensah, Caleb Yirenkyi, Kwasi Sibo, Kojo Oppong Peprah and Christopher Bonsu Baah, trained on all three days before the starting lineup was announced. That lack of preparation inevitably affected Ghana’s cohesion.
Kwasi Sibo and Caleb Yirenkyi, for example, started together in midfield for the first time since Ghana’s 1–0 defeat to South Korea in November 2025. Queiroz acknowledged the extent of the problems before the match.
“We have in our injury list 10 potential players for the national team, 10 players that were out of my options,” he said.
“So the most important players in our team are the ones that are here today. We are a strong team. We have a lot of potential. We have full confidence that the players we have called are ready to perform.”
The Portuguese coach also has some recent experience of working under difficult circumstances with Ghana.
Appointed in April 2026, just 72 days before the FIFA World Cup, Queiroz replaced Otto Addo and had limited time to prepare the team. He nevertheless guided Ghana to the Round of 32 and oversaw a disciplined performance against England that produced a goalless draw.
The 2–0 defeat to Côte d’Ivoire should therefore be considered within the wider context of the circumstances surrounding the team. That does not mean the performance should be ignored.
Ghana struggled to create chances and were also short of control in midfield and a cutting edge in attack. Those are areas Queiroz will need to address quickly.
The Black Stars have now gone seven AFCON qualifiers without a win, recording four defeats and three draws since their last victory against the Central African Republic on September 7, 2023. That record underlines the need for improvement, but rebuilding a team does not happen overnight.
Ghana will have an opportunity to respond when they face The Gambia on Tuesday, September 29, at the Accra Sports Stadium.
With more players back in training, more time to work with the squad and home advantage, the game should provide a clearer indication of how quickly Queiroz can build a settled Black Stars team.
The defeat in Bouaké exposed weaknesses that cannot be ignored. But one loss to the reigning African champions, particularly under the circumstances Ghana faced, should not be the final measure of Queiroz’s work.
A more meaningful assessment will come as the squad spends more time together, key players return, and Carlos Queiroz gets the opportunity to implement his ideas with a settled team.
