Before the match
Ghana’s push toward the Africa Cup of Nations 2027 begins on the road. The Black Stars are away to Ivory Coast for matchday 1 of the qualifiers, with kickoff set for Thursday 24 September 2026, 19:00 Accra time.
It is not the smoothest platform to start a campaign from. Ghana have taken 1W 2D 3L from their last six matches, a run stretching back to Saturday 23 May 2026, and they arrive on the back of 2 losses in a row. The most recent of those came at the World Cup in Kansas City, beaten 1-0 by Colombia on Saturday 4 July 2026. Four of those six matches were World Cup games at neutral venues in North America (1W 1D 2L); the two friendlies, in Wales on Tuesday 2 June 2026 and against Mexico on Saturday 23 May 2026, brought a draw and a defeat. Split by competition, the Black Stars have gone 1W 1D 2L in the World Cup and 0W 1D 1L in international friendlies.
Ivory Coast come into this one in noticeably better touch. The Elephants have taken 4W 0D 2L from their last six this season, a run dating back to Thursday 4 June 2026, though they too arrive off the back of a setback, having gone down 1-2 to Norway at the World Cup in Dallas on Tuesday 30 June 2026. Four of their six were World Cup matches at neutral venues (2W 0D 2L); the two friendlies, against France on Thursday 4 June 2026 and Philadelphia Union II on Monday 8 June 2026, were both won on the road. By competition, Ivory Coast have managed 2W 0D 2L in the World Cup and a clean 2W 0D 0L in international friendlies.
Our feed holds four meetings between the two nations since 2015, a partial record rather than the full history. The Africa Cup of Nations final in Bata on Sunday 8 February 2015 finished goalless and went to Ivory Coast 9-8 on penalties. In October 2015 the two countries’ home-based sides played two African Nations Championship qualifiers: Ghana won 2-1 in Kumasi on Sunday 18 October, then Ivory Coast won 1-0 in Abidjan on Friday 30 October. The most recent meeting, an international friendly in Cape Coast on Saturday 12 June 2021, ended 0-0.
Chale, matchday 1 of a qualifying group always carries its own weight, and with both sides nursing a losing streak of their own right now, neither the Black Stars nor the Elephants will want to start with a setback.
Kojo Banker
After the match
Ghana’s Africa Cup of Nations 2027 qualifying campaign opened with defeat. The Black Stars traveled to face the Ivory Coast Elephants on Thursday 24 September 2026, for matchday 1, and left Stade de la Paix beaten 2-0.
The hosts led at the break. Half time read Ivory Coast 1, Ghana 0, after Malick Yalcouyé put Ivory Coast ahead in the 44th minute.
Ivory Coast doubled that lead early in the second half. Franck Kessié converted a penalty in the 58th minute, and that was how the game finished: Ivory Coast 2, Ghana 0, full time.
It finishes a loss for Black Stars, no way around it. This is the kind of start nobody wanted on matchday 1 of qualifying, Chale, but it is the honest result and it stands.
One match played, one match lost. Kojo Banker will be back once qualifying moves on to matchday 2.