WAFCON 2026: World Cup ticket at stake as Black Queens face Malawi in Rabat

Ghana's Black Queens face Malawi on Sunday in a crucial 2026 Women's Africa Cup of Nations quarterfinal in Rabat, with a place in the semifinals and qualification for the 2027 FIFA Women's World Cup at stake.

The Black Queens advanced from Group D after finishing second behind Cameroon. Ghana opened the tournament with a 2-0 victory over Cape Verde before suffering a 1-0 defeat to Cameroon. A 1-1 draw against Mali in their final group game was enough to send them into the knockout stage.

Head coach Kim Lars Bjorkegren believes his side has improved throughout the competition and will need to maintain that progress against a Malawi team he describes as hard-working and dangerous.

Malawi possess quality in attack, but Björkegren has warned his players against simply sitting deep. Ghana will need to defend with discipline while keeping possession and creating chances of their own.

"We can't just defend with 11 players. We need to find a balance, do what we can to defend against them, but also believe in ourselves, keep the ball and take care of our chances," Bjorkegren said.

Ghana will draw confidence from their recent 4-0 friendly victory over Malawi in Casablanca, but Evelyn Badu has warned that the result will have little bearing on Sunday's quarterfinal.

The midfielder believes the Black Queens must approach the knockout tie with a different mindset, knowing a place in the semifinals and qualification for the 2027 FIFA Women's World Cup are at stake.

"We're not going to look at the fact that we scored them. Now it's something different, and we're going in with a different approach," Badu said.

For Ghana, the stakes go beyond a place in the semifinals. Victory will secure their return to the FIFA Women's World Cup for the first time since 2007.

The Black Queens also want to build on their bronze-medal finish at the previous WAFCON, having reached the semifinals before defeating Nigeria in the third-place playoff.

Bjorkegren has described the Malawi encounter as one of the most important games in Ghanaian women's football in two decades.

"The girls know it, the coaches know it, everybody at the FA knows it. We will do everything we can to make sure Ghana has a national team playing in Brazil next year," he said.

With the World Cup ticket within reach, Ghana must now deliver on the biggest stage of their campaign.

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