Kim Lars Björkegren: Mali clash was Black Queensâ?? best WAFCON performance

Black Queens head coach Kim Lars Björkegren has described Ghana’s 1-1 draw with Mali as their best performance of the ongoing 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON).

Ghana entered their final Group D fixture at the Moulay Rashid Stadium in Casablanca knowing that a point would be enough to secure their place in the quarterfinals.

Evelyn Badu gave the Black Queens the lead before half-time, but Mali responded through Diabate to earn a share of the spoils and set up a tense finish.

Despite the late pressure from the Malians, Björkegren was pleased with the overall display and believes his side should have won the game comfortably based on their dominance.

“To go to the playoff was one of the three targets that we had this summer with the Black Queens. The game is the best that we have played - the only thing I can be disappointed over is the fact that we were nervous in the end. We should have closed this game way earlier,” Björkegren said.

The Swedish coach pointed to Ghana’s attacking numbers as evidence of their superiority, noting that the Black Queens created enough opportunities to secure a convincing victory.

“We're having like an xG - there is a 3.3 almost against 0.6. I mean, it's a normal game that you win with 3-0 or something like that. But in the end, you need to be nervous. So that's the only thing I can complain about; otherwise I think we played really good football,” he added.

Björkegren was particularly impressed by Ghana’s start to the match, describing the first-half display as their best in the tournament so far.

“I think we were ready from the start today. The first half, like I said, this is probably the best one we have played. But at the end of the day, we needed one point, and we took it, and now we are in a good position,” he said.

The draw secured Ghana’s progress to the quarterfinals and moved the Black Queens to within one victory of qualifying for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup.

Björkegren acknowledged the significance of the next match, with victory in the quarterfinal enough to secure Ghana’s place at the global tournament.

“Because this quarterfinal is only one game from the World Cup,” he stressed.

Ghana will now face Malawi in the quarterfinals as they continue their bid to win the WAFCON title and secure a return to the FIFA Women’s World Cup.

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