Accra: Ghana's Black Queens have been handed a challenging route in their bid to qualify for the 2027 FIFA Women's World Cup, with Ecuador, Uzbekistan, and Papua New Guinea standing between them and a place in the final phase of the play-off tournament. The Black Queens are set to start their campaign against Ecuador, followed by a match against Uzbekistan, and will conclude the preliminary phase against Papua New Guinea.
According to Ghana Web, the six-team preliminary phase is scheduled for November 24 to December 5, 2026, with Ghana among the teams vying for advancement to the decisive stage of the qualification process. The play-off fixtures for Ghana will see them face Ecuador on Matchday 1, followed by Uzbekistan on Matchday 2, and finally Papua New Guinea on Matchday 3.
The Black Queens' path to the play-offs was secured after a 2-1 victory over C´te d'Ivoire in the WAFCON 2026 play-in round. This victory revived Ghana's hopes of returning to the global stage, following a 2-1 quarter-final defeat to Malawi at the Women's Africa Cup of Nations.
The play-off tournament features six teams, including Ghana, South Africa, Ecuador, Uzbekistan, Chinese Taipei, and Papua New Guinea. Among these, Ghana and Ecuador are noted as the lowest-ranked teams in the draw. The Black Queens have not been part of the Women's World Cup since their last appearance in 2007, making this a critical opportunity to end a two-decade absence from the world's premier women's football stage.
With the 2027 tournament set to take place in Brazil, Ghana's latest qualification effort offers a chance to reclaim their spot on the global stage in women's football.