Augustine Ahinful
Augustine Ahinful

A former Ghana international, Augustine Ahinful, says Black Stars is capable of winning the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) but with the right preparations despite the recent bad performance.

The senior national team’s chances ahead of the tournament in Ivory Coast has been questioned following its uninspiring performance in the October international friendly games.

However, Ahinful believes that with the right preparation and mindset, the team can achieve success.

He also emphasized that, the team should not focus solely on AFCON but also on the crucial upcoming World Cup qualifiers next month.

“Anything is possible, but we need to be prepared for what lies ahead. It’s not only the AFCON next month, but we also have two World Cup qualifiers against Madagascar and Comoros, so we need to clear that hurdle before we can think about the AFCON,” Ahinful told Graphic Sports.

The former Borussia Dortmund and Ashgold striker believes that the outcomes of the two World Cup qualifiers will be pivotal to Ghana’s preparation for the 2023 AFCON.

“The next important match is the one in November and that would be like a preparatory game towards the AFCON. How we perform next month will be a very big determining factor to what we intend to do in January”, he stated.

Ghana has been drawn into Group I for the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, alongside Comoros, Central African Republic, Chad, Mali, and Madagascar.

The matches are expected to take place between November 13 and 21.

The Black Stars have also been paired with Egypt, Cape Verde and Mozambique in Group B of the AFCON tournament.

Ghana last won the AFCON in 1982 in Libya.

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