WAFCON 2026: How Ghana Can Still Qualify for 2027 FIFA Women's World Cup After Malawi Loss
- Ghana's 2-1 defeat to Malawi in the 2026 WAFCON quarter-final eliminated the Black Queens from the tournament
- Coach Kim Lars Björkegren's side will enter a play-off tournament alongside three other quarter-final losers for two additional CAF slots
- Ghana must first beat Côte d'Ivoire to secure a place in the main 10-team play-off tournament in November 2026
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Ghana's hopes of reaching the 2027 FIFA Women's World Cup remain alive despite their 2-1 quarter-final defeat to Malawi at the 2026 Women's Africa Cup of Nations.
The loss ended the Black Queens' hopes of reaching the WAFCON semi-finals, but it has not ended their dream of playing at next year's World Cup in Brazil.
Instead, Ghana must now take the longer route through the FIFA Women's World Cup Play-Off Tournament.
Source: Twitter
How Ghana can qualify for 2027 Women's World Cup
The four teams eliminated in the WAFCON quarter-finals — Ghana, Côte d'Ivoire, South Africa and Nigeria — will compete for two places in the 10-team FIFA Play-Off Tournament.
Ghana's first hurdle is a regional clash against Côte d'Ivoire on August 13, who were eliminated by Algeria. South Africa and Nigeria will contest the other play-off tie.
The Queens must win their meeting with the Lady Elephants to secure a place in the main 10-team tournament, which is scheduled for November and December 2026.
The tournament will feature two teams from Africa, Asia, Concacaf and South America, alongside one representative from Oceania and one from Europe.
Black Queens face difficult route to Brazil
Six of the 10 teams will compete in the opening phase, with the two winners advancing to join four other nations in the final stage in February 2027.
Those six teams will then be divided into three knockout paths. The winner of each path will secure a place at the 2027 FIFA Women's World Cup in Brazil.
That means Ghana now has very little room for error.
The Black Queens must first overcome Côte d'Ivoire before successfully navigating the remaining playoff stages.
Their defeat to Malawi has made the journey considerably harder, but Ghana's World Cup dream remains firmly within reach.
One victory could keep that dream alive. From there, the Black Queens will need two more successful knockout campaigns to book their place in Brazil.
ChatGPT’s WAFCON prediction takes a hit
Earlier, YEN.com.gh reported that ChatGPT had predicted its winner for the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations before the quarter-finals.
The AI’s projected route to the final featured Nigeria, Morocco, Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire, but only one of those predictions has so far proved correct.
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Source: YEN.com.gh
