Queiroz: Black Stars face difficult start to AFCON qualifying campaign

Black Stars head coach Carlos Queiroz says Ghana's preparations for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers have been disrupted by a significant number of player absences.

The Portuguese coach revealed that he initially identified only 12 players as potential call-ups when he began planning for Ghana's opening qualifiers.

“When I started this journey, at the beginning, I looked at my paper, and I had 12 players out of the potential call-ups immediately. This is not a good starting point,” Queiroz said at a press conference in Accra on Monday.

The situation became more challenging, with Ghana losing eight players just before preparations for the opening fixture against Côte d'Ivoire.

“One day before you start camp for Ivory Coast, you lose eight players. This is not a good starting point,” he added.

Nathaniel Adjei and Prince Kwabena Adu are among the players who have withdrawn from the squad because of injuries, forcing Queiroz to make adjustments to his plans.

Mohammed Kudus was also initially recalled after recovering from the injury that ruled him out of the 2026 World Cup, but the Tottenham Hotspur forward subsequently withdrew from the squad to continue his recovery and regain full fitness.

Queiroz stressed that players must be active for their clubs and physically prepared before being considered for the national team.

“There is always one general principle that we consider fundamental at this stage, except in exceptional circumstances: players should be in competitive action, physically prepared and fully ready to play for the national team.”

Ghana begin their Group C qualifying campaign against Côte d'Ivoire in Bouaké on 24 September, with the match scheduled to take place at the Stade de la Paix.

The Black Stars will then return home to face The Gambia at the Accra Sports Stadium on 27 September.

Ghana will round off the international window with a friendly against Morocco at the Grand Stade de Tanger on 4 October.

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