For the 12th time, Ghana will be competing in the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON).

The Black Queens qualified by virtue of their impressive win over Egypt last October, making a return to the competition for the second successive time since missing out on the 2022 edition.

Ghana are drawn in Group D, where they face Cape Verde, Cameroon and Mali in their group campaign. This year’s tournament also comes with huge responsibility, as it also serves as the qualifier for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup.

Unlike the last edition, where Ghanaians were sceptical about how well the team would do, this year’s tournament has fans upbeat about the team’s chances.

The Black Queens have been in the final of the WAFCON on three occasions, losing all three to Nigeria’s Super Falcons in 1998, 2002 and 2006.

Here are reasons to be positive about the Black Queens 2026 WAFCON campaign.

Experience of the squad

In the build-up to WAFCON 2024, when the Black Queens took to the tournament, they had 19 of their players playing in the competition for the very first time. Alice Kusi, Portia Boakye, Sherifatu Sumaila, and Grace Asantewaa were the only players who had had a taste of continental football at that level. That was telling in the way Ghana played in the first game of the tournament and, to some extent, their semifinal defeat against Morocco, as they were unable to hold off the challenge from hosts Morocco.

In the squad for the 2026 edition, 18 of the players were present in the last edition, and you expect their experience to be heavily important for the team. The only players who are taking part in the competition for the first time include Osman Huzeimah, Alex Tay, Benedicte Simon, Abena Anoma Opoku, Linda Owusu Ansah, Sharon Sampson and Abi Kim.

World Cup dream

Next year will be exactly 20 years since Ghana played at the Women’s World Cup. Since 2007, the country has failed to reach that stage despite their lukewarm performance on the continent. The demand will be for this team to fight and make that stage their own before continuing their pursuit of the title.

For a team that fought well and sealed a return to the continental stage, there is belief that hunger and desire still persist and should spur them on to achieving World Cup qualification and eventually fighting for the trophy.

Same head coach in charge

One of the complaints many had at the last WAFCON about Ghana’s performance was the time spent by head coach Kim Lars Bjorkegren with the team. Prior to the team heading to the competition, Bjorkegren had been there for just about four months. He barely knew the squad as they qualified for the competition under the tutelage of Nora Häuptle.

In this year’s tournament, they will have had a full cycle with the Swedish trainer who continues to leave his imprint on the team. The belief is that he has had enough time to work with the players to put them in the best shape and state for continental glory, which in the long run increases their chances of a shot at the title.

Better preparation

Despite playing three fewer games than they did prior to the last WAFCON, the Black Queens have spent more time together this time around than they did before. Five games against England, Hong Kong, Russia, Côte d’Ivoire and Malawi set the tone for Bjorkegren’s side to be very competitive at WAFCON.

In those oppositions, Ghana played against some of the competitive teams to contend with as part of their preparations and also competed in the Pink Ladies’ Cup. In those five games, they scored 13 goals and conceded just one.

The team also spent the June window camping in Ghana, where they played among themselves and faced Ghanaian champions Ampem Darkoa Ladies, as well as a boys’ team as part of their run-in for the competition.

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