Cote d’Ivoire v Ghana: kick-off time and TV details for CAN 2027 qualifier

Cote d’Ivoire begin their campaign for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations with a meeting against Ghana in the Group C headline fixture on Thursday.

The match marks the start of a new chapter for the Elephants, almost three months after their early exit from the 2026 World Cup. Cote d’Ivoire were beaten 2-1 by Norway in the round of 32 on 30 June.

Herve Renard will take charge of his first game since returning as head coach, having replaced Emerse Fae. The fixture could also provide first international appearances for several players included in the squad for the opening qualifier.

The game will be played at Stade de la Paix in Bouake, with kick-off at 21:00 French time, or 19:00 in Cote d’Ivoire (GMT).

In France, the match will be broadcast live and in full on beIN Sports 2. Viewers in Cote d’Ivoire can watch it on Canal+ Sport 2 and La 3.

This will be the 17th meeting between the two countries since 1965. Cote d’Ivoire have a narrow advantage in the head-to-head record, with seven wins, three draws and six defeats against the Black Stars.

For Renard, Thursday’s game will be his fifth against Ghana’s Yellow, Red and Green. The Frenchman has won three of his previous four encounters and lost one.

His most recent victory came in the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations final, when he led Cote d’Ivoire to success against Ghana 11 years ago. The final finished 0-0 after extra time before Cote d’Ivoire won 9-8 on penalties.

That final was also the last occasion on which Renard faced the Black Stars.

The match could introduce eight new faces to the Cote d’Ivoire senior squad. The players are Christ Tape of Toulouse, Kassoum Ouattara of Besiktas, Amadou Kone of Neom, Patrick Zabi of Paris FC, Eddy Doue of Estrela Amadora, Malick Yalcouye of Brighton, Rayan Fofana of Le Havre and Yann Gboho of Coventry.

With Renard back in charge and a number of potential debutants involved, Cote d’Ivoire’s first step towards the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations will come against familiar opponents with a closely balanced record.