Ghana’s Black Stars have arrived in Bouaké ahead of their opening Group C qualifier for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations against Côte d’Ivoire on Thursday, September 24.
The team left Accra at about 9:45am on Wednesday aboard a Ghana Air Force flight and arrived in Bouaké around 11:30am.
The Ghanaian delegation was received by Ghana’s High Commissioner to Côte d’Ivoire, Brigadier General Alhassan Abu (Rtd), alongside members of the Ghanaian community and the media.
The players later checked into their team hotel before heading to the Stade de la Paix for their final training session ahead of the much-anticipated encounter.
The Ghana Football Association confirmed that the Black Stars would train at the match venue at 7:00pm, with head coach Carlos Queiroz expected to use the session to finalise his tactical plans. The official pre-match press conference will also take place afterwards.
Ghana began preparations in Accra on Monday, with 18 players taking part in Tuesday’s training session before the squad travelled to Côte d’Ivoire.
The fixture will mark the beginning of Ghana’s Group C campaign, with the Black Stars drawn alongside Côte d’Ivoire, The Gambia and Somalia.
Ghana will return home to face The Gambia in Accra on September 29 before travelling to Morocco for an international friendly against the Atlas Lions on October 4.
The Black Stars head into the opening fixture with several key players unavailable.
Mohammed Kudus, Thomas Partey, Jordan Ayew, Abdul Baba Rahman and Antoine Semenyo are among the established players who will miss the game due to injuries and other medical concerns.
Their absence has forced Queiroz to make several changes to his original squad, with nine additional players called up in the build-up to the match.
The additions include defenders Jonas Adjetey, Alidu Seidu, Ebenezer Annan and Rockson Yeboah, while Slovan Bratislava midfielder Rahim Ibrahim has also received his first senior call-up.
Forwards Brandon Thomas-Asante, Mohammed Fuseini, Benjamin Tetteh and Felix Afena-Gyan have also joined the squad.
The changes have created an opportunity for some of the less experienced players to make their mark at senior international level.
Rahim Ibrahim and Rockson Yeboah are among those who could feature prominently after earning their first senior call-ups following impressive club performances.
Tough test against the Elephants
Despite the challenges facing his squad, Queiroz has insisted that Ghana should not approach the match as underdogs.
“They are as much good as us so it will be 50-50,” he said. “They are good, we are good. Let’s see on the day who can play the best football.”
Côte d’Ivoire will, however, have home advantage and a squad with considerable experience. The Elephants won the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations and, like Ghana, reached the knockout stage of the 2026 FIFA World Cup before being eliminated in the round of 16.
Thursday’s meeting will therefore bring together two of West Africa’s leading football nations at the start of their qualification campaign.
For Ghana, one of the biggest challenges will be building cohesion among a squad that has undergone significant changes in the days leading up to the match.
The final training session in Bouaké will give Queiroz one last opportunity to fine-tune his plans and determine how best to combine the available experienced players with the new additions.
Kick-off is scheduled for 7:00pm at the Stade de la Paix, with the Black Stars looking to begin their AFCON qualifying campaign with a strong result away from home.
