Black Queens will qualify for 2027 Women's World Cup despite WAFCON exit - Mercy Tagoe-Quarcoo

Mercy Tagoe-Quarcoo, former Black Queens head coach, remains confident Ghana can secure qualification for the 2027 FIFA Women's World Cup despite missing out on automatic qualification at the ongoing Women's Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON). She stated, "I believe that Ghana will qualify for the Women's World Cup, and I am confident about that, but the only challenging aspect is that the playoff games are a lot, and that could affect the team." Ghana's direct World Cup hopes were impacted after a 2-1 defeat to Malawi in the quarter-finals at the Al Madina Stadium in Rabat.

The defeat means Ghana must now navigate the WAFCON play-in route, beginning with an encounter against Côte d'Ivoire on Thursday, August 13. A win would earn the Black Queens a place in the FIFA Women's World Cup Play-Off Tournament. The WAFCON play-in was introduced to give teams eliminated at the quarter-final stage another route to World Cup qualification. The first phase of the play-off tournament is scheduled for November and December 2026, with six teams, including two representatives from Africa, competing. The two best-performing teams will advance to the final stage in February 2027.