Kurt OkrakuGhana Football Association president Kurt Okraku says he remains confident the Black Stars can make a strong start to their 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaign despite a string of high-profile withdrawals.The four-time African champions have regrouped for the first time since the 2026 World Cup as they prepare for Group C qualifiers against Cte d’Ivoire and Gambia.Captain Jordan Ayew, Mohammed Kudus, Antoine Semenyo, Prince Kwabena Adu, Alidu Seidu and Nathaniel Adjei are among the players ruled out of the two qualifiers.Even so, Okraku has urged Ghanaians to get behind Carlos Queiroz’s squad.”I am positive about the players that the coach has assembled,” he told Asempa FM.”They are very good players, very dedicated, and what we have to do is support these players.”The GFA president acknowledged that Ghana’s preparations have been less than ideal, with the squad having only two days of training together before travelling.”The players have had two days of training sessions, which is not good, but at this point, what we have to do as a country is support the team and ensure we qualify for the AFCON, where we belong,” he said.Okraku pointed to Ghana’s recent World Cup qualification campaigns as evidence that the team can recover from setbacks.”In 2018, we did not qualify for the World Cup, but when we came together, we made it to 2022 and 2026. This is where we belong, and I know that when we qualify, everyone will be happy.”Ghana begin their qualifying campaign away to Cte d’Ivoire in Bouak on 24 September before hosting Gambia at the Accra Sports Stadium three days later.The Black Stars are aiming to return to the Africa Cup of Nations after failing to qualify for the 2025 finals in Morocco.They will round off the international window with a friendly against Morocco in Tangier on 4 October.
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