2027 AFCON qualifiers: Gambia beat Somalia to pile pressure on Ghana

Ghana’s 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaign has come under further pressure after The Gambia opened their Group C account with a 2-1 victory over Somalia on Friday.

The Scorpions’ win gives them three points ahead of their meeting with the Black Stars on Tuesday, leaving Ghana needing a response after a disappointing start to the qualifiers.

Ghana suffered a 2-0 defeat to Côte d’Ivoire in their opening fixture, a result that left the Black Stars without a point and at the bottom of the group on goal difference.

The defeat means Ghana cannot afford another setback when they face The Gambia at the Ohene Djan Sports Stadium in Accra.

The Scorpions, meanwhile, will arrive with confidence after securing maximum points in their opening match and will look to build on that result against the four-time African champions.

For Ghana, Tuesday’s fixture represents an opportunity to put their qualification campaign back on track and avoid falling further behind the early pace-setters.

The Black Stars will need a significantly improved display after struggling to impose themselves against Côte d’Ivoire in their opening game.

With the group still at an early stage, Ghana have time to recover, but another failure to collect three points at home would increase the pressure on Carlos Queiroz and his players.

The Black Stars will be hoping home advantage can help them secure their first points of the campaign when they host The Gambia on Tuesday.