Ghana and South Africa have secured Africa’s two places in the inter-confederation play-offs for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup after both countries recorded crucial victories in Casablanca on Thursday.
The Black Queens booked their place first after coming from behind to defeat Côte d’Ivoire 2-1.
Inès Konan put the Elephants ahead from the penalty spot in the fourth minute, giving Côte d’Ivoire an early advantage.
Ghana responded strongly after the break, with Princess Marfo restoring parity before Josephine Bonsu completed the comeback with 18 minutes remaining.
The victory sent the Black Queens through to the 10-team inter-confederation play-offs, where they will battle for one of the three remaining World Cup places.
South Africa then joined Ghana after defeating Nigeria 2-1 in the later fixture.
The Super Falcons had been hoping to keep their World Cup qualification record intact, but Banyana Banyana secured the crucial victory to end Nigeria’s hopes of reaching the tournament for the first time in their history.
South Africa’s victory means the two-time WAFCON champions will represent Africa alongside Ghana in the inter-confederation play-offs.
The play-offs will be held across two international windows between November 2026 and February 2027, with the 10 participating teams divided into three mini-tournaments.
The winners of the three mini-tournaments will secure the final three places at next year’s Women’s World Cup in Brazil.
Ghana and South Africa will therefore have another opportunity to secure their places at the global tournament after missing out on direct qualification through the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations route.
Vanguard News
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