Ghana has been paired with Nigeria in the final round play-off of the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.
The draw was conducted Saturday afternoon in Douala, Cameroon.
The 22nd edition of the FIFA World Cup tournament is scheduled to take place from November 21- December 18, 2022, due to Qatar’s intense summer heat.
Ghana qualified among the 10 teams who were divided into two levels based on the official FIFA ranking, published in 19 November 2021 as follows:
Level 1: Senegal, Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria and Nigeria
Level 2: Egypt, Cameroon, Ghana, Mali and DR Congo
After the draw, the lower ranked team will play the first leg at home with the eventual winners of each fixture booking a place for the 2022 FIFA World Cup to be staged in Qatar.
The games will be played from March 23-29 this year.
This means the two West African powerhouses will revive their rivalry in March’s doubleheader for a place in FIFA’s biggest event.
Black Stars will host the Super Green Eagles in the first of the doubleheader at yet to be decide stadium before traveling to Nigeria in a week time for the reverse fixture.
Ghana bids to make a return to the global showpiece after missing out on the 2018 edition whilst Nigeria who were in Russia chases a record of a fourth consecutive appearance.
Ghana and Nigeria have met 56 times, 25 wins for the Stars, 12 for the Eagles and 19 ending in a draw.
The last meeting between the two countries in a FIFA World Cup qualifier was the road to the 2002 Japan-Korea World Cup where Nigeria beat Ghana 3-0 at the Port, Harcourt, Lagos State in July 2008, 2001 after the first leg had ended 0-0 in Accra, on March 10, 2001.
Ghana FIFA World Cup record
Ghana is one of three African teams to play a World Cup quarterfinal, in South Africa 2010. They appeared in the World Cup three times (2006, 2010, 2014)
In total, Ghana played 12 World Cup matches; winning 4, drawing 3 and losing 5. The Black Stars scored 13 goals and conceded 16 in the process
Nigeria FIFA World Cup record
Nigeria reached the Round of 16 three times, in USA 1994, France 1998 and Brazil 2014. They played in six World Cup editions (1994, 1998, 2002, 2010, 2014 and 2018)
In total, Nigeria played 21 matches, where they won 6, drew 3 and lost 12. They scored 23 goals and conceded 30 in the process.
