THE bronze medal finish for Ghana’s Black Queens at the 2024 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) has motivated them to even dream bigger as they return for the 2026 edition of the tournament.
On Wednesday, the Queens begin another mission of challenging 15 other contenders for the coveted WAFCON trophy and a ticket to the 2027 Women’s World Cup (WWC) in Brazil.
They will begin with the opening game against Cabo Verde on Wednesday, face Cameroun on August 2 before wrapping up the final Group D game with an encounter against Mali on August 6.
Against Cabo Verde, the Queens would be out to avoid any false start as Coach Kim Lars Bjorkegren plan to avoid any pressure on the team.
“The group is a dicey one, and every point counts. We don’t have much knowledge about Cabo Verde, but Cameroun and Mali are familiar sides; however, we don’t know how they will show up, so for us, we are preparing to start on a very positive note and go all the way to the end,” Coach Bjorkegren said ahead of their first game.
Going all the way to be among the top four and earning a WWC ticket are crucial as they seek to cement their places among Africa’s greats in women’s football and also return to the world stage.
That they are good has not been in doubt; indeed, in 1998, 2002 and 2006, they qualified for the WWC and during those times, won silver medals, their dream of lifting the trophy ended by record title holders, Nigeria, on all three occasions.
However, the Queens have also endured a long absence of consistency and, for over 20 years, tried and failed many times to be among Africa’s best.
Last year, they took a bold step to end that long period of heartbreak and disappointment with the third-place finish and are keen to continue from where they left off.
Though cautious in their approach, given the hurdles they have to clear, Coach Bjorkegren is nonetheless optimistic that they can accomplish their double mission.
Since taking charge of the team last year, he has built a team that has steadily improved in stability, performance and confidence, as well as motivated to dream bigger.
A 0-2 loss to WWC silver medallists, England, last December and subsequent good results in subsequent international friendlies they have played have given the coach hope that his ladies are ready to achieve their objective in Morocco.
After two weeks of training in Morocco, which has helped them to acclimatise, Coach Bjorkegren believes the 25 ladies he has picked for this assignment are capable and ready.
“I strongly believe in this team and am very sure that they will achieve something special for themselves and the country. Of course, the moment before you play the first game is sometimes filled with anxiety, but we are ready and looking forward to playing the first game,” he said.
Keeping faith with a greater part of the team that delivered the bronze medal, he is not likely to change the starting line up but looks likely to try out the striking partnership between Doris Boaduwaa and Sharon Sampson who share the five goals that Ghana scored against Cote d’Ivoire (1-0), Tanzania (0-0) and Malawi (4-0) in their preparatory matches.
