- Black Stars land in Bouaké for high-stakes AFCON opener against Côte d’Ivoire
Ghana’s Black Stars have arrived in Bouaké ahead of their opening 2027 Africa Cup of Nations Group C qualifier against Côte d’Ivoire, with Carlos Queiroz’s side entering the final phase of preparations for Thursday’s encounter at the Stade de la Paix.
The team departed Accra at about 9:45am on Wednesday and arrived in Bouaké at approximately 11:30am aboard a Ghana Air Force flight. Ghana will face the Elephants at 7:00pm on Thursday, September 24.
The delegation was received on arrival by Ghana’s High Commissioner to Côte d’Ivoire, Brigadier General Alhassan Abu (Rtd), alongside members of the Ghanaian community and media representatives.
The players subsequently moved to their team hotel before the evening’s official training session. The Ghana Football Association said the Black Stars would train at the Stade de la Paix at 7:00pm, followed by the mandatory pre-match press conference.
Ghana have been in camp since Monday, with the initial phase of preparations taking place at the Accra Sports Stadium.
Eighteen players participated in Tuesday’s training session before the squad departed for Côte d’Ivoire on Wednesday morning. The Bouaké session is expected to provide Queiroz with his final opportunity to work on tactical details before the opening qualifier.
The match represents the beginning of Ghana’s qualification campaign in Group C, where the Black Stars have been drawn alongside Côte d’Ivoire, The Gambia and Somalia.
After Thursday’s game, Ghana are scheduled to host The Gambia in Accra on September 29 before travelling to Morocco for an international friendly on October 4.
A positive start in Bouaké would therefore give the Black Stars early momentum in a group expected to test their depth.
Preparation for the opener has, however, been disrupted by a series of player withdrawals and medical concerns. Ghana will be without several established players, including Mohammed Kudus, Thomas Partey, Jordan Ayew, Abdul Baba Rahman and Antoine Semenyo, forcing Queiroz to make significant adjustments to his squad. The attrition has changed the composition of the team only days before one of the most demanding fixtures of the qualifying campaign.
Queiroz responded by adding nine players to the squad, including defenders Jonas Adjetey, Alidu Seidu, Ebenezer Annan and Rockson Yeboah. Slovan Bratislava midfielder Rahim Ibrahim was also called up, alongside forwards Brandon Thomas-Asante, Mohammed Fuseini, Benjamin Tetteh and Felix Afena-Gyan.
The reshuffle has opened opportunities for several players who were not part of the original selection. Rahim Ibrahim and Rockson Yeboah are among the players receiving particularly significant opportunities.
Ibrahim earned his maiden senior call-up after impressing at club level with Slovan Bratislava, while Yeboah was also brought into the senior squad for the first time after establishing himself at Osasuna.
Their inclusion underlines the extent to which the injury situation has forced Ghana’s technical team to accelerate the integration of less experienced players.
Despite the disruption, Queiroz has rejected suggestions that Ghana should approach Côte d’Ivoire as clear outsiders. “They are as much good as us so it will be 50-50,” he said ahead of the international window. “They are good, we are good. Let’s see on the day who can play the best football.”
That confidence will be tested against a Côte d’Ivoire side with home advantage and the benefit of greater continuity. The Elephants were African champions in 2023 and, like Ghana, reached the knockout stage of the 2026 FIFA World Cup before exiting in the round of 16.
Thursday’s fixture therefore brings together two of West Africa’s heavyweight national teams at the very start of the qualification campaign.
For Ghana, the principal tactical challenge will be how quickly the reshaped squad can establish cohesion. The absence of several senior players affects leadership, midfield control and attacking quality, while the late additions have had limited preparation time with the rest of the group.
The final training session in Bouaké will consequently be crucial in determining how Queiroz balances experience with the new options brought into camp.
The Black Stars will also need to manage the psychological demands of beginning the campaign away from home against one of the group’s strongest opponents.
Avoiding an early defeat would provide a useful platform ahead of the home game against The Gambia, while victory would immediately strengthen Ghana’s position in Group C.
The opening fixture therefore carries more significance than an ordinary first-round qualifier.
Ghana’s arrival in Bouaké signals that preparations are now almost complete. What began as a training camp disrupted by injuries has become a test of squad depth, adaptation and Queiroz’s ability to assemble a competitive side at short notice.
At 7:00pm on Thursday, the focus will move from withdrawals and replacements to whether the available Black Stars can produce the performance required against the Elephants.
