By Nadia Ntiamoah
Ghana’s hopes of securing an early advantage in the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers suffered another major setback on Tuesday after the Black Stars were beaten 4-2 by The Gambia at the Accra Sports Stadium.
The defeat means Ghana have now lost their opening two Group C matches and remain without a point in the qualifying campaign, having previously suffered a 2-0 defeat to Côte d’Ivoire in Bouaké. The latest loss also leaves the Black Stars at the bottom of the group as The Gambia strengthened their position at the summit with a second consecutive victory.
The Gambians arrived in Accra with three points from their opening match, a 2-1 victory over Somalia, and produced another impressive performance to leave Ghana facing an uphill battle for one of the two qualification places available from Group C. The Gambia now have six points from two matches, while Ghana remain on zero points after two defeats.
The result represents a dramatic reversal of Ghana’s hopes after the team entered the qualifying campaign determined to return to the continental tournament following their failure to qualify for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco.
The Ghana Football Association had identified the campaign as an opportunity for the Black Stars to secure qualification for the 2027 tournament, which will be jointly hosted by Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda.
