Cote d’Ivoire face Ghana test as Herve Renard begins second spell in Bouake

Ghana begin their bid to avoid missing a second successive Africa Cup of Nations finals when they face Cote d’Ivoire in Bouake on Thursday, 24 September 2026.

The west African derby will be Carlos Queiroz’s first major challenge as he attempts to restore the Black Stars to the continent’s leading stage. Ghana failed to qualify for the 2025 finals after finishing bottom of a group containing Angola, Sudan and Niger, recording three defeats and three draws.

Cote d’Ivoire, meanwhile, have welcomed back Herve Renard, the coach who led them to the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations title in Equatorial Guinea. That success ended a 23-year wait for their second continental crown.

The Elephants went on to win a third title on home soil, although their defence of the trophy ended in the quarter-finals against Egypt, who later reached the semi-finals. Emerse Fae’s reputation remained strong after he guided the side to that triumph during the tournament and then led them to the knockout phase of a World Cup in North America for the first time. Their run ended with a last-16 defeat by Norway a few months ago.

Fae’s contract was not extended, leaving Renard to use his experience of African football as Cote d’Ivoire target a fourth continental title at the 2027 finals in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda. The Frenchman could hardly have wished for a more demanding return than a home meeting with Ghana.

Queiroz, 73, will hope his disciplined approach can help Ghana end their wait for a first Africa Cup of Nations title since 1982. His cautious methods in tight matches drew criticism during the World Cup, but may prove useful for a side missing several important attacking players.

Captain Jordan Ayew, Manchester City forward Antoine Semenyo and Tottenham playmaker Mohammed Kudus are all unavailable. Kudus has only recently returned from a serious hamstring injury that ruled him out for the second half of the 2025-26 season and the World Cup.

Alexander Djiku, Nathaniel Adjei, Ibrahim Sulemana, Felix Afena-Gyan and Ibrahim Osman return to the Ghana squad.

Renard’s first Cote d’Ivoire squad since his appointment does not include Evann Guessand or Oumar Diakite, who were left out of the initial 25-man group. Yahia Fofana, Ousmane Diomande and Franck Kessie provide a familiar spine, while Manchester United’s Amad Diallo is injured. Yan Diomande is expected to lead the attack and will look to respond after an inconsistent start with Real Madrid during the September-October international window.

Cote d’Ivoire’s recent form is V V V D V D; Ghana’s is D N V N D D.

Probable teams

Cote d’Ivoire: Fofana; Doue, Koussounou, Diomande, Konan; Kessie, Sangare, Inao; Pepe, Bonny, Diomande.

Ghana: Asare; Oppong, Adjetey, Opoku, Mensah; Yirenkyi, Sibo, Donkor; Issahaku, Thomas-Asante, Nuamah.

Cote d’Ivoire are forecast to win 2-0. The listed selections are a home win at 1.58, fewer than 2.5 goals at 1.62 and Yan Diomande to score at 3.50; the exact-score selection is priced at 6.00 with Betclic.