Ghana’s AFCON absence will hit hard when tournament begins – Majeed Waris

Ghanaian forward Majeed Waris has expressed disappointment over the Black Stars’ failure to qualify for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), predicting the impact will be more deeply felt when the tournament kicks off in December 2025.

Ghana missed out on AFCON qualification for the first time in 21 years after a dismal six-game winless run left them at the bottom of Group F with just three points.

Angola and Sudan secured the group’s top two spots, earning tickets to next year’s continental showpiece in Morocco.

“I think it is a shame to all of us, and I feel like something needs to be done,” Waris, who played for Ghana from 2012 to 2019, told JoySports.

“Everyone is hurt, and we are not going to feel it that much now, but when it’s time for the tournament, when you see the countries arriving for the tournament and the joy and happiness that it brings into the country, that’s when the country [Ghana] will feel it more.

“It is something that we are all not happy about.”

Coach Otto Addo, who oversaw the qualifiers, faces mounting pressure, with his future yet to be decided by the Ghana Football Association (GFA).

This marks Ghana’s first AFCON absence since 2004.