Black Stars will look to revive their 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualification campaign when they host The Gambia in a crucial Group C encounter at the Accra Sports Stadium on Tuesday, September 29, 2026.
The match, scheduled for 4:00pm, comes at an important stage of the qualification campaign for Ghana, who suffered a disappointing 2-0 defeat to Côte d’Ivoire in Bouaké in their opening fixture.
The result leaves the Black Stars under pressure to respond on home soil, with three points against The Gambia vital to their hopes of securing one of the group’s two qualification places.
Black Stars seeking immediate response
Black Stars entered the qualifiers hoping to return to the continental stage after missing out on the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco.
Coach Carlos Queiroz will therefore be looking for a strong reaction from his players after a performance in Côte d’Ivoire that was undermined by missed opportunities.
The Black Stars created several chances in Bouaké but failed to convert them, an area Queiroz has identified as one of the key aspects that must improve against The Gambia.
The Portuguese coach wants Black Stars to dominate possession, recover the ball quickly and maintain an attacking approach throughout the 90 minutes.
“We come from a lesson we learned in Ivory Coast. We always win or learn. The boys are ready with a lot of motivation. We have to have the ball with us, recover the ball, keep the ball, and play with a positive mind to score. If our defining moments get better, we’re very close to winning,” Queiroz said.
Djiku ruled out
Black Stars will be without captain Alexander Djiku, who was forced off in the 71st minute against Côte d’Ivoire after picking up an injury.
Djiku has since returned to his club, Spartak Moscow, leaving Queiroz without one of his most experienced defensive options.
Speaking at Monday’s pre-match press conference, however, the coach confirmed that 22 players are available for the match, with only Ronald Donkor still facing a fitness doubt.
“The only player that is still in doubt is Ronald Donkor. We hope that he can at least be on the bench tomorrow to give his contribution. Otherwise, all the other players trained normally in good condition, in good shape and we are ready for the game,” Queiroz said.
The coach also urged supporters attending the game to back the players as Black Stars attempts to secure its first points of the campaign.
“We only need the ones that come here to support the players that are here to perform. Those 22 players are the most important players of the Black Stars now.” Click Here
The Gambia arrive with confidence
The Gambia will enter the contest with three points already on the board after defeating Somalia 2-1 in their opening Group C fixture on Friday.
The Scorpions are level on three points with Côte d’Ivoire at the top of the group, making Tuesday’s encounter particularly significant for both teams.
The Gambians have established themselves as a competitive force in recent Africa Cup of Nations campaigns and will be hoping to frustrate Black Stars in Accra while maintaining their strong start to the qualifiers.
However, The Gambia will also be missing several important players.
Brighton winger Yankuba Minteh is unavailable after sustaining a contact injury to his right leg during pre-season. Captain Omar Colley is expected to provide leadership for the visitors.
The Scorpions will also be without Musa Barrow, Abdoulie Manneh and Adama Sidibeh, who are all ruled out through injury.
High stakes in Accra
With Côte d’Ivoire and The Gambia both already on three points, Ghana cannot afford another setback if they are to remain firmly in contention for qualification.
For the Black Stars, the objective is clear: turn home advantage into three points, improve their efficiency in front of goal and put their opening-day defeat behind them.
The Gambia, meanwhile, will look to build on their winning start and leave Accra with another positive result.
