Ghana's Black Queens will face Cote d’Ivoire on Thursday, August 13, in a crucial WAFCON play-in match as they look to keep their hopes of qualifying for the 2027 FIFA Women's World Cup alive.

The Black Queens entered the play-in after suffering a 2-1 defeat to WAFCON debutants Malawi in Sunday's quarterfinal in Rabat.

Ghana took an early lead through Cynthia Boakye-Hlorkah, but Malawi quickly responded through Temwa Chawinga before Rose Kadzere completed the comeback with the winning goal in the 79th minute.

The defeat ended Ghana's hopes of reaching the WAFCON semifinals and securing automatic qualification for the World Cup.

Ghana must now overcome Cote d’Ivoire in the play-in to advance to the FIFA Women's World Cup Play-Off Tournament.

The other play-in will see defending champions Nigeria face South Africa, with the two winners joining the FIFA Play-Off Tournament as Africa's representatives.

The African play-in involves the teams that lost in the WAFCON quarterfinals, with two winners earning places in the FIFA Play-Off Tournament.

That tournament will provide another route to Brazil 2027. The two African representatives will join teams from other confederations, with the final qualification places for the Women's World Cup to be decided through the FIFA play-off process.

The first phase of the FIFA Play-Off Tournament will be held in November and December 2026 at a centralised venue. Six teams, including the two African representatives, will compete, with the top two advancing to the final phase in February 2027.

They will then be joined by four teams from Concacaf, CONMEBOL and UEFA. The six teams will be divided into three knockout paths, with the winner of each path securing qualification for the 2027 FIFA Women's World Cup in Brazil.

For Ghana, the immediate focus is Cote d’Ivoire on August 13. Victory would keep the Black Queens' World Cup dream alive, while another defeat would end their hopes of returning to the global tournament for the first time since 2007.