Ghana’s interim technical team is expected to unveil its squad later this week as the Black Stars intensify preparations for their decisive 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifying encounters against Somalia, with the national team under mounting pressure to revive its faltering campaign.
The four time African champions face Somalia in a two legged contest covering Matchdays Three and Four of the qualifying competition, with both fixtures scheduled to take place in Ghana as the country seeks to recover from a disappointing opening to its qualification campaign.
Ghana’s pursuit of a place at the continental tournament has suffered an early setback following successive defeats in their first two Group C encounters. The Black Stars suffered a 2-0 loss to Côte d’Ivoire in Bouaké before surrendering to a 4-2 defeat against The Gambia at the Accra Sports Stadium, despite initially establishing a two goal advantage.
The disappointing results intensified scrutiny of the team’s technical direction and ultimately contributed to the departure of head coach Carlos Queiroz, triggering a fresh search for a substantive manager by the Ghana Football Association (GFA) in collaboration with the Ministry of Sports and Recreation.
To oversee the recruitment exercise, a five member committee chaired by former GFA vice president Fred Pappoe was constituted to identify and recommend a suitable candidate to take charge of the national team.
However, with the Somalia encounters approaching, the football authorities opted to appoint an interim technical team to supervise the Black Stars while the search for a permanent head coach continues.
Swedish tactician Kim Lars Björkegren has been entrusted with leading the temporary coaching arrangement, with former Ghana international Ibrahim Tanko and Godwin Attram appointed as his assistants. Former Black Stars goalkeeper Fatawu Dauda has also been brought into the technical structure as the team’s goalkeeping trainer.
The interim coaching contingent is expected to announce its player selections this week, allowing preparations to move into a more intensive phase ahead of the two encounters.
Ghana will host Somalia in the opening fixture on Thursday, November 12, before the teams meet again on November 16 in the return engagement. Both matches present the Black Stars with an opportunity to accumulate their first qualifying points and restore some confidence following their disappointing results.
The national team currently occupies the bottom position in Group C without a point from its opening two matches, leaving little room for further setbacks if Ghana are to remain competitive in the race for qualification.
The urgency surrounding the upcoming fixtures is heightened by Ghana’s recent disappointment in the previous AFCON qualifying cycle, when the Black Stars failed to secure a place at the 2025 tournament in Morocco.
Having missed the continental championship for the first time in two decades, Ghana are under considerable pressure to avoid another prolonged absence from Africa’s premier international football competition.
The Somalia double header therefore represents an important early test for the interim technical team, whose immediate responsibility will be to restore competitiveness, improve the team’s defensive organisation and secure the victories required to revive Ghana’s qualification ambitions.
