Cote d’Ivoire v Ghana: African giants meet in 2027 qualifying opener

Cote d’Ivoire host Ghana at the Stade de la Paix de Bouake on Friday, 24 September 2026, as two of Africa’s leading football nations begin their CAN 2027 qualifying campaigns.

The Group C fixture kicks off at 19:00 GMT, with coverage available on beIN Sports 2, Canal+ Afrique, SuperSport and SABC Sport. Both sides will be targeting an opening victory in what promises to be an early test of their ambitions.

The match will be played in Bouake, Cote d’Ivoire, where the hosts will look to make home advantage count under manager Herve Renard.

Recent meetings favour Ghana

The rivalry has produced closely contested matches over the years. Across nine meetings between February 2008 and June 2021, Ghana have recorded four victories, compared with two for Cote d’Ivoire. The other three games ended in draws.

Those encounters have also produced 23 goals, an average of 2.56 per match, underlining the competitive nature of the fixture.

The most recent meetings include two 0-0 draws in friendly matches on 12 June 2021. Ghana won 3-1 in another friendly on 8 October 2019, while Cote d’Ivoire defeated Ghana 1-0 in the CHAN on 30 October 2015. Ghana had won the earlier CHAN meeting 2-1 on 18 October 2015, before the teams drew 0-0 in the CAN on 8 February 2015.

Form points to home side

Cote d’Ivoire enter the qualifying campaign with four wins and two defeats from their past six matches. They have scored nine goals during that run and kept three clean sheets.

Renard’s team will attempt to set the pace from the start as the Elephants begin a transitional period following their continental title in 2023. The French manager has also spoken positively about the quality of his squad and his ambitions with Cote d’Ivoire.

Ghana’s recent record is less encouraging. The Black Stars have lost four of their last six outings, failed to score in three of those matches and won only once. They have kept two clean sheets in that sequence.

Carlos Queiroz’s side therefore face pressure to improve their defensive organisation, while Ghana will also be without some of their senior players for the Bouake contest.

Cote d’Ivoire are the favoured team based on their stronger recent attacking form, home advantage and greater defensive stability. The previous meetings have generally been tight, but the hosts are expected to have enough to prevail.

The prediction is a 2-0 victory for Cote d’Ivoire.

The available betting prices list Cote d’Ivoire at 1.67 to win, a draw at 3.60 and a Ghana victory at 4.75.