The Black Stars of Ghana wrapped up their 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifying campaign without a single victory, suffering a 2-1 defeat to Niger at the Accra Sports Stadium on Monday afternoon.
Ghana’s chances of qualifying for the tournament in Morocco were already extinguished following a 1-1 draw with Angola last weekend at the Estádio 11 de Novembro. That result left the four-time African champions needing a win in their final match to take pride in an otherwise disappointing campaign.
Head coach Otto Addo introduced significant changes to the lineup for the clash against Niger in hopes of ending a five-match winless streak. However, the team once again struggled. Niger struck first in the 22nd minute, with Ousseni Badamassi scoring to give his side a first-half lead.
The Black Stars appeared disorganized in the second half until the introduction the newcomer Jerry Afriyie from Thought FC. Afriyie injected energy into the team and scored the equalizer in the 67th minute, finishing from an assisst by Ernest Nuamah.
Despite this resurgence, Niger retook the lead last-minute when Oumar Sako scored in the 92nd minute. Ghana had an opportunity to get a draw with a penalty awarded in the 96th minute, but Mohammed Kudus missed the spot-kick, confirming the team’s fate.
Ghana finished at the bottom of Group F with just three points from six games, marking the first time in 21 years that the Black Stars failed to qualify for the AFCON. Angola and Sudan secured the group’s two qualification spots.
Looking ahead, attention now turns to the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, where Ghana will face Chad and Madagascar in March 2025. Meanwhile, the Ghana Football Association’s Executive Council is set to meet on Wednesday to assess the team’s performance and chart a path forward after this historic disappointment.
