As 2024 draws to a close, Ghana’s football scene has endured a year filled with frustration and missed opportunities, with the Black Stars and Black Galaxies both falling short in key competitions.
From the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) to the CHAN qualifiers, the year has been a bitter one for a nation with high footballing aspirations.
Africa Cup of Nations 2023: Early exit and bitter disappointment
The year began with high hopes for the Black Stars as they entered the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations in Côte d’Ivoire.
🚨 𝗖𝗟𝗔𝗦𝗦𝗘𝗠𝗘𝗡𝗧 𝗗𝗘𝗦 𝗠𝗘𝗜𝗟𝗟𝗘𝗨𝗥𝗦 𝗧𝗥𝗢𝗜𝗦𝗜𝗘̀𝗠𝗘𝗦📊⤵️
Voici le classement des meilleurs troisièmes après les 3 journées des groupes A et B ! 🔥
Pour rappel, 𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝟰 𝗺𝗲𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗲𝘂𝗿𝘀 𝟯𝗲̀𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝘀𝗲𝗿𝗼𝗻𝘁 𝗤𝗨𝗔𝗟𝗜𝗙𝗜𝗘́𝗦 𝗽𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗹𝗲𝘀… pic.twitter.com/VkxljJ6RsF
— Instant Foot ⚽️ (@lnstantFoot) January 22, 2024
Housed in Group B alongside Cape Verde, Egypt, and Mozambique, Ghana set out to capture their fifth continental title, following triumphs in 1963, 1965, 1978, and 1982.
However, the tournament quickly turned into a frustrating campaign.
Ghana’s opening match saw them succumb to a 2-1 defeat against Cape Verde.
The following matches brought further disappointment as they were held to 2-2 draws by both Egypt and Mozambique.
With just two points from three matches, the Black Stars finished third in the group and failed to progress past the group stage.
#ToutPourLaCAN 🌍 : Deux buts encaissés dans le temps additionnel et le Ghana 🇬🇭 sort par la petite porte de la compétition.
La qualification leur semblait pourtant promise après avoir maîtrisé la rencontre pendant 89 minutes.. 🥴 pic.twitter.com/oTub2aci0t
— CANAL+ SPORT Afrique (@cplussportafr) January 22, 2024
The early exit prompted the Ghana Football Association to part ways with coach Chris Hughton.
AFCON 2025 qualifiers: A catastrophic campaign
After the disappointment in Côte d’Ivoire, the Black Stars turned their attention to the qualifiers for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco.
🚨 OFFICIEL : Le Ghana 🇬🇭 ne participera pas à la CAN 2025 ! 🌍❌
Une première depuis 2004. 😱 pic.twitter.com/Av6hOZQkRm
— 🏆 Actu Foot Afrique (@ActuFootAfrique) November 15, 2024
Drawn into Group F alongside Angola, Sudan, and Niger, Ghana needed to secure one of the top two spots to qualify.
Unfortunately, their qualifying campaign was disastrous.
In six matches, the Black Stars suffered three heavy defeats and drew three times, finishing bottom of the group with just three points.
🚨🇬🇭 𝐎𝐅𝐅𝐈𝐂𝐈𝐀𝐋 | Ghana have FAILED to qualify for AFCON 2025! ❌⛔️ pic.twitter.com/1CxUGhGPqy
— EuroFoot (@eurofootcom) November 15, 2024
For the first time in 20 years, Ghana failed to qualify for the Africa Cup of Nations, marking a painful chapter in their footballing history.
CHAN 2024 qualifiers: Ghana’s local team falls short
The disappointments didn’t end with the senior national team.
Ghana’s hopes for the 2024 African Nations Championship (CHAN) were dashed in the qualifiers.
The Black Galaxies🇬🇭 will miss next year’s CHAN after losing 3️⃣-1️⃣ to their Nigerian counterparts in the final qualifiers.#OnuaSports pic.twitter.com/V7ZGc2uAUh
— #OnuaSports (@OnuaSports) December 28, 2024
Exempt from the first round, the Black Galaxies entered the second round with high expectations, needing to overcome Nigeria over two legs.
The first leg in Ghana ended in a 0-0 draw, leaving the tie finely poised.
However, in the return leg in Nigeria, the Black Galaxies were caught off guard, conceding three goals in the first half.
Despite a valiant effort, they were unable to mount a comeback and were eliminated with a 3-1 defeat, ending their hopes of competing in the tournament to be held in Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania in 2025.
Black Queens and the Paris 2024 Olympics
The Ghanaian women’s national team, the Black Queens, also faced setbacks in 2024.
Having already qualified for the 2024 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco in December 2023, the Black Queens aimed for a spot in the Paris 2024 Olympics.
However, their Olympic dreams were dashed in the third round of qualifying, where they were eliminated by Zambia’s Copper Queens in February.
2026 World Cup qualifiers: A glimmer of hope
Amidst the disappointments, the Black Stars found some consolation in their 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign.
📸 Pictures from our win over Mali in Bamako!
🇲🇱 Mali 1️⃣-2️⃣ Ghana 🇬🇭
🔗: https://t.co/0DaznuxVLK#BlackStars | #FIFAWCQ pic.twitter.com/qaV1BrFxp0
— 🇬🇭 Black Stars (@GhanaBlackstars) June 7, 2024
Despite a rocky start, Ghana managed to secure crucial wins in June, beating Mali 2-1 and the Central African Republic 4-3.
These victories saw them rise to second place in Group I with nine points, keeping their World Cup hopes alive as they look to bounce back from a challenging year.
A year of missed chances
In addition to the competitive disappointments, Ghana’s international friendly results in 2024 further highlighted the struggles, with a 0-0 draw against Namibia, a 2-1 loss to Nigeria, and a 2-2 draw with Uganda.
🔥 @jordan_ayew9 ⚽️⚽️⚽️
🇬🇭 Ghana 4️⃣-2️⃣ Central African Republic 🇨🇫 #BlackStars | #FIFAWCQ | #GHACAR pic.twitter.com/WoHn4JvuHa
— 🇬🇭 Black Stars (@GhanaBlackstars) June 10, 2024
As 2024 comes to a close, Ghana’s football teams face an uphill battle to rebuild and restore their pride on the continental stage.
The year has been a reminder that talent alone is not enough, and the country will need to reassess and refocus as they prepare for the future.
The Black Stars and Black Galaxies will need to learn from these setbacks and emerge stronger as they look ahead to the 2026 World Cup and beyond.
