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As the penultimate round of qualifiers for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), set to be hosted in Morocco, approaches, Ghana hopes to reignite its dwindling chances of securing a spot in next year’s continental showpiece.
The Black Stars, four-time AFCON champions, currently sit fourth in Group F with just two points from four matches, courtesy of two draws and two losses.
Angola leads the group with 12 points, followed by Sudan with 7 points and Niger with 4 points. Both Sudan and Niger have played five matches, giving Ghana a slim opportunity to climb the rankings if results go their way.
Meanwhile, coach Otto Addo’s team travels to Luanda in search of their first win of the campaign, a result crucial to keeping their faint qualifying hopes alive.
To achieve this, the Black Stars must win their remaining two matches, against Angola today at 7:00 PM and Niger in Ghana on Monday evening. This would give them a chance to leapfrog Sudan into second place in Group F, provided Sudan loses their final match against Angola next week at home.
Adding to Ghana’s woes, the squad has been hit by injuries, with eight players withdrawing ahead of the decisive matches. The absentees include key players such as Inaki Williams, Tariq Lamptey, Antoine Semenyo, Alexander Djiku, Ibrahim Osman, Jeremy Poku, Jonas Adjetey, and Joseph Paintsil.
This setback has further deepened the hopes of many Ghanaian football fans, who remain skeptical about the team’s ability to turn things around and secure a qualification spot owning to poor performances across all competitions.
However, a small group of optimistic fans believes the Black Stars can defy the odds because Ghana has an impressive record, having qualified for the last 10 AFCON tournaments, including 2023, 2021, 2019, 2017, 2015, 2013, 2012, 2010, 2008, and 2006. The last time they failed to qualify was in Tunisia 2004.
Given this track record, Ghana was initially expected to top their group and comfortably qualify for next year’s tournament unfortunately, their chances now hang by a thread.
On the other hand, Angola is determined to maintain their excellent form in the qualifiers as they host Ghana at Estádio 11 de Novembro on Friday evening.
Under coach Pedro Gonçalves, Angola is on an impressive run, with eight wins across all competitions and an unbeaten streak of 12 matches. Defensively solid, they have kept clean sheets in seven of those games.
With the stakes high for Ghana, all eyes will be on the Black Stars to see if they can capitalize on Sudan’s matchday five heavy defeat to Niger and rise to the occasion.
In what could be a pivotal match in Ghana’s AFCON 2025 campaign, the once-mighty powerhouse of African football, now seen as ‘fallen giants,’ will aim to rewrite their storied history and reclaim their former glory.
