Ghana boss Carlos Queiroz demands full focus for Africa Cup of Nations 2027 qualifiers

Carlos Queiroz has urged Ghana’s players to remain fully focused as they prepare to begin their Africa Cup of Nations 2027 qualifying campaign against Cote d’Ivoire and Gambia.

The Black Stars will be without Mohammed Kudus and Prince Adu Kwabena for their opening Group C fixtures, as they attempt to respond after missing the 2025 tournament.

Queiroz, the 73-year-old Portuguese coach, will also oversee Ghana’s friendly against Morocco during the international period. He says the matches must serve both an immediate purpose and a longer-term plan centred on the 2030 World Cup.

“Hands on the present, eyes fixed on the future. The priority is very clear: to focus absolutely on qualifying for the Africa Cup of Nations, with the 2030 World Cup in sight,” Queiroz said.

“We have an immediate objective that demands all our concentration, but we also have a more important destination ahead of us. This is the time to start building the team for 2030, a team truly capable of honouring Ghana’s extraordinary World Cup legacy.”

The coach’s comments reflect the Ghana Football Association’s intention to balance the demands of the qualifying campaign with the development of a squad built to compete over the longer term.

Queiroz is expected to lay the foundations of the national team for the next six years while seeking to secure Ghana’s place at the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations.

The Black Stars are also aiming to re-establish themselves as a major force on the international stage. Ghana have won the Africa Cup of Nations four times, but their absence from the 2025 edition increased the importance of their next qualifying campaign.

Their fixtures against Cote d’Ivoire and Gambia will provide the first test of Queiroz’s approach, before the meeting with Morocco gives him another opportunity to assess his squad and continue preparations for the future.