Ghanaian forward Joseph Paintsil has opened up about the Black Stars’ shocking failure to qualify for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), acknowledging the unexpected rise in competitiveness across African football.
Ghana, a four-time AFCON champion, endured a nightmare qualifying campaign, finishing last in Group F with just three points from six matches.
Angola and Sudan topped the group to book their places in Morocco, leaving the Black Stars out of the tournament for the first time in 21 years.
Reflecting on the disappointment, Paintsil, speaking while on holiday in Ghana, highlighted the evolving quality of African teams.
“It’s a difficult situation now, and everybody’s playing in Europe. So, you cannot say, “This team is bad. This national team is bad.” The more you think that, the more they surprise us.
“As you can see, we were surprised by a lot of teams. But you know, it happens. We just ask Ghanaians to always support us no matter what happens. We need to go through everything together.”
Coach Otto Addo, who oversaw the qualifiers, faces mounting pressure, with his future yet to be decided by the Ghana Football Association (GFA).
This marks Ghana’s first AFCON absence since 2004.
