By Kwame Bediako
Ghana’s Black Queens will face Côte d’Ivoire on Thursday, August 13, in a crucial WAFCON play-in match as they look to keep their hopes of qualifying for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup alive. The Black Queens entered the play-in after suffering a 2-1 defeat to WAFCON debutants Malawi in Sunday’s quarter-final in Rabat.
How the quarter-final loss unfolded
Ghana took an early lead through Cynthia Boakye-Hlorkah, but Malawi quickly responded through Temwa Chawinga before Rose Kadzere completed the comeback with the winning goal in the 79th minute. The defeat ended Ghana’s hopes of reaching the WAFCON semi-finals and securing automatic qualification for the World Cup.
Play-in: Ghana vs Côte d’Ivoire
Ghana must now overcome Côte d’Ivoire in the play-in to advance to the FIFA Women’s World Cup Play-Off Tournament. The other play-in will see defending champions Nigeria face South Africa, with the two winners joining the FIFA Play-Off Tournament as Africa’s representatives.
African play-in and FIFA Play-Off structure
The African play-in involves the teams that lost in the WAFCON quarter-finals, with two winners earning places in the FIFA Play-Off Tournament. That tournament will provide another route to Brazil 2027, with the two African representatives joining teams from other confederations as the final qualification places for the Women’s World Cup are decided through the FIFA play-off process.
FIFA Play-Off Tournament timeline
The first phase of the FIFA Play-Off Tournament will be held in November and December 2026 at a centralised venue, with six teams, including the two African representatives, competing and the top two advancing to the final phase in February 2027. They will then be joined by four teams from Concacaf, CONMEBOL and UEFA, with the six teams divided into three knockout paths, and the winner of each path securing qualification for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Brazil.
What’s at stake for Ghana
For Ghana, the immediate focus is Côte d’Ivoire on August 13, with victory keeping the Black Queens’ World Cup dream alive and another defeat ending their hopes of returning to the global tournament for the first time since 2007.
