Ghana Eye History Against Côte d’Ivoire in AFCON Qualifier

Ghana are hoping to make history on tonight when they take on neighbours and rivals Côte d'Ivoire in the opening game of their 2027 AFCON qualifying campaign, a fixture the Black Stars have never won.

The two sides meet at the Stade de la Paix in Bouaké in what is only the third time they have been drawn together in AFCON qualifiers. Ghana have come up short every time before now.

Côte d'Ivoire have dominated the head to head in qualifying, winning three of the four previous meetings and drawing the other one. The first came all the way back in October 1973, in the second round of qualifying for the 1974 tournament, when the Ivorians won 3-0 in Accra. A month later in Abidjan, they won the return leg 1-0 too.

The two teams met again in qualifying for the 1986 finals. Côte d'Ivoire won the first leg 2-0 in Abidjan in August 1985, then held Ghana to a goalless draw in the second leg in Kumasi.

Ghana and Côte d'Ivoire have actually played each other more than 36 times since 1965, and Ghana do have wins over their rivals at the AFCON finals themselves, in 1965, 1968, 1996 and 2008. But the qualifiers have always gone the other way, and Carlos Queiroz's side will be out to finally change that on Thursday.

Ghana go into the game short handed. Mohammed Kudus, Antoine Semenyo, Jordan Ayew and Thomas Partey are all unavailable, and the team is still feeling the sting of missing out on the 2025 tournament altogether. Côte d'Ivoire, on the other hand, have home advantage and a strong squad under returning coach Hervé Renard, including Franck Kessié, Nicolas Pépé and Yan Diomandé.

A win for Ghana would not just end their long wait for a qualifying victory over Côte d'Ivoire. It would also hand them a perfect start in Group C, which also features The Gambia and Somalia.