Black Queens coach Kim Lars Bjorkegren insists he is feeling no pressure ahead of Ghana’s decisive Group D clash against Mali at the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON).
The Black Queens take on their West African rivals on Thursday with qualification for the quarter-finals within reach after collecting three points from their opening two matches.
Ghana need only a draw to progress, while Mali must claim victory to advance to the knockout stage.
Despite the importance of the fixture, Bjrkegren says he remains calm and believes his players are also handling the occasion well.
“For me personally, I don’t feel any pressure at all, not for a single second. I think for the girls, I can’t speak for them, but they look pretty relaxed.
“We have, of course, been talking about football and things like that, but we also try to relax a little bit and talk about other things. There have been team-building activities, for example, that I think can help at this stage where we are right now.”
The Black Queens opened the tournament with a 2-0 win over Cape Verde before suffering a narrow defeat to Cameroon.
Ghana remain in control of their qualification hopes and know avoiding defeat against Mali will be enough to book a place in the last eight.
The winners of Thursday’s encounter will move a step closer to the semi-finals, where qualification for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Brazil is at stake.
