Ghana’s hopes of returning to the Africa Cup of Nations have suffered another major setback after the Black Stars surrendered a two-goal lead to lose 4-2 to The Gambia in Accra on Tuesday, September 29, 2026.

The defeat means Ghana have now gone three years without winning an AFCON qualifier, with their last victory coming in September 2023 when they defeated the Central African Republic 2-1 in Kumasi to secure qualification for the 2023 AFCON.

Since then, the Black Stars have endured a remarkable decline in their performances in Africa’s premier international competition.

Ghana failed to win any of their six qualifiers for the 2025 AFCON, recording three draws and three defeats.

Watch the moment fans nearly attacked Kurt Okraku at the stadium

The run ended with a 1-2 home defeat to Niger in November 2024, leaving the four-time African champions bottom of their group and out of the tournament. Ghana finished the campaign with just three points from six matches.

That failure to qualify for the 2025 tournament was Ghana’s first absence from the AFCON since 2004.

The Black Stars entered the 2027 qualifiers hoping for a fresh start under returning coach Carlos Queiroz, but the campaign has begun in familiar fashion.

Ghana lost 2-0 away to Côte d’Ivoire in their opening Group C fixture before Tuesday’s collapse against The Gambia.

After taking a commanding 2-0 lead through Ernest Nuamah’s penalty and Felix Afena-Gyan’s free-kick, Ghana conceded four times to suffer another damaging defeat.
The result leaves the Black Stars without a point after their first two matches and facing an uphill battle to qualify for the 2027 tournament.

More worrying is the continuation of a qualifying record that has now stretched across two AFCON cycles.

From the 2025 qualifiers through the opening two matches of the 2027 campaign, Ghana have played eight AFCON qualifiers without recording a single victory.

For a country that has traditionally been a regular presence at the continental showpiece, the numbers paint a troubling picture.

And with Ghana already six points behind the early pacesetters in Group C, the Black Stars have little room for further setbacks in their remaining qualifiers.

FKA/JKB

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