Black Queens head coach Kim Lars Björkegren has admitted Ghana faces a difficult recovery schedule ahead of their 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations quarter-final against Malawi.
Ghana secured their place in the last eight after drawing 1-1 with Mali in their final Group D match.
However, the Black Queens have just two days to recover before facing Malawi, with the team also required to travel to Rabat for the quarter-final.
Björkegren says the short turnaround, combined with the logistics involved in moving a large delegation, is far from ideal.
“It’s a problem. Also, the fact that if you play in Group D, it’s not a favour for you because you have your rest days before the tournament starts, which is really no help. And now we only have like two days for recovery.”
He added that the journey to Rabat will further reduce the time available for the players to rest.
“One of them includes a move to Rabat. Even if the distance is not so big, it takes a group of 50 people or whatever we are to move. It takes half a day. So, of course, it’s not perfect. But at the same time, it’s nothing we can do about that.”
Despite the concern, the Swedish coach believes Ghana can draw confidence from their performance against Mali.
The Black Queens were forced to work hard for the point, but Björkegren was encouraged by the team’s overall display and the fact that they came through the game without any injury setbacks.
“I think this performance today is going to give the players good energy. And we were lucky, as I can see at least, that we have no injuries today.”
Ghana will now turn their attention to Malawi, with the quarter-final presenting another demanding test as the Black Queens seek to advance to the semi-finals.
For Björkegren, managing the limited recovery period will be just as important as tactical preparation as Ghana enters the knockout stage.
