{"id":111810,"date":"2026-01-19T10:03:44","date_gmt":"2026-01-19T10:03:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/?p=111810"},"modified":"2026-01-19T10:03:44","modified_gmt":"2026-01-19T10:03:44","slug":"2026-womens-afcon-gfa-boss-optimistic-as-black-queens-target-maiden-title","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/?p=111810","title":{"rendered":"
2026 Women’s AFCON: GFA boss optimistic as Black Queens target maiden title<\/div>"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\n \t<\/i> Read Time:<\/span>2 Minute, 1 Second <\/div>\n\n <\/div>

The Ghana Football Association (GFA) President, Kurt Simeon-Okraku, has expressed strong confidence in the Black Queens\u2019 chances at the 2026 Women\u2019s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON), insisting the team is well-placed to compete for the title and secure qualification for the 2027 FIFA Women\u2019s World Cup.
\nThe official draw, held in Rabat, Morocco, placed Ghana in Group D alongside Cameroon, Mali and Cape Verde for the tournament, scheduled for March 17 to April 3, 2026.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

While Mali represents a familiar opponent from the last edition, perennial contenders Cameroon bring physicality and tactical depth, while Cape Verde enter as ambitious underdogs eager to make an impact.
\nSpeaking after the draw, Mr Simeon-Okraku backed head coach Kim Lars Bj\u00f6rkegren to guide the Black Queens deep into the competition.
\n\u201cI think that the head coach is very experienced and able to guide the girls. I have no doubt whatsoever that we\u2019ll compete and that we will make it to the World Cup,\u201d he told reporters.
\nDespite high expectations following Ghana\u2019s podium finish at the previous WAFCON, the GFA President emphasised focus and composure over pressure.
\nThe Ghana football chief, who also serves as CAF\u2019s Second Vice President, added that Ghana\u2019s third-place finish in the last edition shows the team can challenge any opponent on the continent.
\n\u201cThe ambition of the nation is to win the trophy, and I think that we are not far away from that,\u201d he said.
\nThe Black Queens\u2019 confidence is further bolstered by their strong performances in recent competitions. In the 2025 Women\u2019s AFCON, Ghana secured third place after a thrilling 4-3 penalty shoot-out victory over South Africa, a result that reinforced their return to the continent\u2019s elite.
\nEven a recent 0-2 defeat to European champions England has been framed positively, highlighting the team\u2019s ability to compete against top-tier opponents.
\nWith a steadily growing pool of talent and the experience of a semi-final run under Coach Lars Bj\u00f6rkegren in the previous edition, Ghana will aim to reach at least the last four for the second consecutive tournament and, ultimately, chase their first WAFCON crown.
\nThe 2026 WAFCON will feature 16 nations, including hosts Morocco, Nigeria, South Africa and Zambia, promising one of the most competitive editions in recent memory. The top four teams will also earn automatic qualification for the 2027 FIFA Women\u2019s World Cup.<\/p>\n

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\n

\"Ghana\u2019s<\/p>\n

The Ghana Football Association (GFA) President, Kurt Simeon-Okraku, has expressed strong confidence in the Black Queens\u2019 chances at the 2026 Women\u2019s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON), insisting the team is well-placed to compete for the title and secure qualification for the 2027 FIFA Women\u2019s World Cup.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The official draw, held in Rabat, Morocco, placed Ghana in Group D alongside Cameroon, Mali and Cape Verde for the tournament, scheduled for March 17 to April 3, 2026.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

While Mali represents a familiar opponent from the last edition, perennial contenders Cameroon bring physicality and tactical depth, while Cape Verde enter as ambitious underdogs eager to make an impact.<\/p>\n

Speaking after the draw, Mr Simeon-Okraku backed head coach Kim Lars Bj\u00f6rkegren to guide the Black Queens deep into the competition.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think that the head coach is very experienced and able to guide the girls. I have no doubt whatsoever that we\u2019ll compete and that we will make it to the World Cup,\u201d he told reporters.<\/p>\n

Despite high expectations following Ghana\u2019s podium finish at the previous WAFCON, the GFA President emphasised focus and composure over pressure.<\/p>\n

The Ghana football chief, who also serves as CAF\u2019s Second Vice President, added that Ghana\u2019s third-place finish in the last edition shows the team can challenge any opponent on the continent.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe ambition of the nation is to win the trophy, and I think that we are not far away from that,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

The Black Queens\u2019 confidence is further bolstered by their strong performances in recent competitions. In the 2025 Women\u2019s AFCON, Ghana secured third place after a thrilling 4-3 penalty shoot-out victory over South Africa, a result that reinforced their return to the continent\u2019s elite.<\/p>\n

Even a recent 0-2 defeat to European champions England has been framed positively, highlighting the team\u2019s ability to compete against top-tier opponents.<\/p>\n

With a steadily growing pool of talent and the experience of a semi-final run under Coach Lars Bj\u00f6rkegren in the previous edition, Ghana will aim to reach at least the last four for the second consecutive tournament and, ultimately, chase their first WAFCON crown.<\/p>\n

The 2026 WAFCON will feature 16 nations, including hosts Morocco, Nigeria, South Africa and Zambia, promising one of the most competitive editions in recent memory. The top four teams will also earn automatic qualification for the 2027 FIFA Women\u2019s World Cup.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":{"facebook_2277560469115098_106292521332774":"","twitter_aToxNzczMzI3Njk4OTg4ODUxMjAxOw==_1773327698988851200":""},"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[11,103],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-111810","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-sports","category-travel"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/111810","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=111810"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/111810\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=111810"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=111810"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=111810"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}