On 14 July, Ghana and Ivory Coast met in Casablanca as part of their preparations for the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations. Sharon Sampson scored in the 75th minute to give the Black Queens a 1-0 victory.
Thirty days later, they meet again in the same city. This time, it is not a warm-up.
Ivory Coast and Ghana play this Thursday at 18:00 in Morocco — 19:00 CET — for a place in the FIFA Play-Off Tournament. Defeat ends the journey. Victory keeps it alive, but does not yet secure a ticket to Brazil.
A play-off to reach another play-off
Morocco, Algeria, Cameroon and Malawi qualified directly for the World Cup by winning their quarter-finals and reaching the last four of the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations.
The four defeated teams received a second opportunity. Ivory Coast face Ghana before Nigeria meet South Africa three hours later.
The two winners will advance to FIFA’s intercontinental play-off, which will feature ten countries and award the final three places at the World Cup.
The African representatives will enter the first phase, scheduled for November and December. Only two of its six participants will advance to the final phase in February, when they will have to win one last knockout tie to qualify.
Victory in Casablanca would still leave two obstacles to overcome.
Two leads that were not enough
Ivory Coast and Ghana arrived here in almost identical circumstances: both took the lead in their quarter-finals and both eventually lost by a single goal.
The Ivorians went ahead against Algeria through Inès Konan in the 30th minute. Before half-time, they were reduced to ten players when N’Sira Ouédraogo was sent off.
Algeria equalised in the 58th minute. Four minutes later, Ivory Coast had a penalty that could have restored their lead, but Rebecca Elloh failed to convert it. Amira Ould Braham scored Algeria’s winner in the 64th minute.
The defeat ended one of the tournament’s most surprising runs. Ivory Coast had returned to the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations after a 12-year absence and won their group without losing: they beat Burkina Faso 4-1, surrendered a two-goal lead against South Africa and completed the first round with an away win over Tanzania (1-2).
They scored eight goals across those three matches. A red card and a missed penalty then contributed to their quarter-final exit and cost them the chance to qualify directly for the World Cup.
Ghana also struck first against Malawi. Chantelle Boye-Hlorkah scored in the seventh minute, but Temwa Chawinga equalised five minutes later.
The Black Queens thought they had regained the lead through Doris Boaduwaa in the second half, only for VAR to disallow the goal. In the 79th minute, Rose Kadzere completed Malawi’s comeback and sent her country to a World Cup for the first time.
In the space of six minutes, Ivory Coast conceded an equaliser, missed a penalty and fell behind. Ghana’s direct qualification slipped away with 11 minutes remaining.
The July meeting
The friendly played one month ago provides the most recent reference point between the teams, although the circumstances were entirely different.
Ghana won 1-0 through Sampson’s goal and kept out an Ivory Coast side who would go on to finish top of their group.
The Black Queens, however, produced less in attack during the tournament. They beat Cape Verde 2-0, lost 0-1 to Cameroon and drew 1-1 with Mali before their quarter-final defeat to Malawi.
Ivory Coast have scored more goals, but Ghana have already shown that they can keep the Ivorians out. The July friendly will not decide the August play-off, but it means there are few unknowns between the teams.
Twenty years of trying to return
Ghana appeared at three consecutive World Cups: 1999, 2003 and 2007. They have missed the four editions since then and it is now almost 20 years since their last appearance.
Ivory Coast have played at the World Cup only once. They finished third at the 2014 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations to qualify for Canada 2015, where they were eliminated in the group stage.
For Ghana, the play-off represents an opportunity to reclaim a place they once held for three successive tournaments. For Ivory Coast, it offers the chance to turn their return to Africa’s elite into another appearance on the world stage.
At 18:00 local time in the Larbi Zaouli Stadium, one of them will keep that possibility alive.
The other will have played their final match on the road to Brazil 2027.
Match details
- Match: Ivory Coast v Ghana
- Competition: Women’s Africa Cup of Nations, World Cup play-off
- Date: Thursday, 13 August 2026
- Kick-off: 18:00 in Morocco — 19:00 CET
- Venue: Larbi Zaouli Stadium, Casablanca
- At stake: a place in the FIFA Play-Off Tournament
