In a straw poll collated by football writer and analyst Joel Bortey, 60 Ghanaian sports journalists participated to share their opinions and predict where the Black Stars will reach ahead of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations, which is just three days away from kickoff in Ivory Coast.

Since the announcement of the 27-man squad on January 1 2024, Chris Hughton’s men have been camping in Kumasi as they prepare to depart for Ivory Coast on January 10. Many football lovers have had their varied opinions about the chances of the team, especially after a shambolic performance in the previous edition, exiting the tournament without a victory for the first time in its history.

In the quest of finding out if there’s been any improvement in the current side compared to the last edition, 88.3 per cent of sports journalists believed so and voted for the Black Stars to qualify beyond their group made up of Egypt, Cape Verde, and Mozambique.

“The new structure of the AFCON makes it really difficult to be eliminated from the group stages. Ghana’s squad has more quality this time and worst-case scenario they should make it as one of the best third-placed teams,” a sports journalist said anonymously.

In the 2023 football calendar, the Black Stars won only four out of nine games, with a 3-1 victory over Liberia being their biggest, and their worst loss being a devastating 4-0 scoreline in favour of the USA. Many supporters of the Black Stars were furious when the senior national team lost 1-0 to Comoros who are 119th per the FIFA rankings. Despite it being a one-goal loss, it is seen as humiliating for a nation like Ghana.

Contrary to the earlier opinion, seven out of the sixty sports journalists voted for the national team to exit the competition after their final group game.

“I only see the Black Stars winning one game out of the group they find themselves in. The current squad is 80% similar to the squad that faced Comoros on November 21, 2023. If they lost 1-0, I don’t see how they win against Cape Verde in their group opener and Egypt in the second fixture.” Another sports journalist said anonymously.

Considering the outcome of 2023, it came as a big surprise as 40% of sports journalists voted for Ghana to exit the Africa Cup of Nations at the quarter-final stage.

“Despite the absence of Thomas Partey, Ghana has enough quality to make a good one in the competition. There is only a handful of teams better than the Black Stars in terms of individual players. With Mohammed Kudus and Inaki Williams in the side, there is a lot of hope.”

History seems to be on the side of the four-time champions. Since making its debut in the competition in 1963, Ghana has been to the Quarter-final stage at least 17 times in 23 appearances at the Africa Cup of Nations.



What are the chances Ghana will make it to the final? Per BET365, Ghana has the ninth-best odds to win the AFCON with 10/1. Black Stars will forever remain a powerhouse and will have the respect by being a favourite to win the competition even with their worst squad.

Three sports journalists seem to agree as they voted for Ghana to eventually reach the final and potentially win the tournament.

What does this mean for head coach, Chris Hughton, and his men? Could this be a vote of confidence in the squad selected? Very possible as many believe Ghana cannot perform any worse than what transpired at the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon two years ago.

This straw poll also debunks a narrative within the public space that Ghanaian sports journalists do not see hope in the national team and willingly want to see the downfall of the squad. Hopefully, the Black Stars perform to expectations and make the nation proud.